****ing players make me sick!! I'd heard tales of this early in the season and posted it in a thread at the time. My fear, and now it seems well founded, was that the players would find the more matter of fact approach of Laudrup as a big contrast to the father figure image that Rodgers had created.
I would sympathise in one respect and that is the fitness issue. I have always been a huge believer that you cannot play this game properly if you're not fit and have raised this point many times on this board. As for the rest, so far as I'm concerned, the players can go and do one. Laudrup has to carry the can as the manager and the experience he has gained at some of the top clubs in the world dwarfs the collective experience of the entire playing squad.
There is a real danger of Laudrup walking with this sort of attitude. If he does, what would that do to the likes of Michu, Chico, Pablo, de Guzman and possibly Ki, all players who came to little old Swansea SPECIFICALLY because the great Michael Laudrup was the manager? I doubt that Routledge is involved because he has been a regular and has really upped his game under ML. Vorm? No, just signed a new contract and expressed his satisfaction with the manager. Rangel? Don't think so because he's big buddies with the Spanish lads and I shouldn't think he'd risk upsetting the apple cart.
So who would these senior players be then? I'm only guessing but I did hear at the start of the season that Ash was bumping his gums on the subject. Who else is senior? Leon? Well ML has praised him to the hilt and regards him as vital to our game plan so why should he have an axe to grind. Danny? His goals have dried up and he might feel that he is being overshadowed by Michu. Tough! Michu is doing the business so enough said on that. Taylor? Well he's now injured and only played a bit part in our season anyway and it looks like Moore is in favour (can't see him moaning about not enough fitness work anyway). Dyer? Possibly and he would feel threatened by Pablo's signing.
So I ask again, who are these senior players? I would guess that they include the "Holy Trinity" of Williams, Monk and Tate with perhaps a dash of Gower in the mix. I stress that I'm only GUESSING but we don't have a glut of senior players that could be associated with this. The last three that I mentioned certainly might be disillusioned because ML obviously considers them surplus to requirements. If this is the case AND I EMPHASISE "IF", I would boot their collective arses straight out of the door. We do not need this. We cannot afford this.
Has Michael Laudrup done a bad job to date? No he has not! But for Williams and Vorm messing up we would be at least 4 points better off and looking pretty tasty in the table right now. Laudrup cannot be held responsible for such crass errors committed by SENIOR players. As for the transfer market, Laudrup has truly excelled there signing exciting quality, some at ridiculously bargain prices. And these players will come good for us because they are too good not to.
All I will say is this. In my opinion, for many, many, reasons Michael Laudrup is the best thing that has happened to us in a long time. I can see what he is trying to do and I believe in what he is trying to do. The team just needs time to bed in and develop their understanding with each other. As it is, when we do get it right we look like a million dollars and we are scoring goals.
I hope Huw can sort this and sort it quickly. If established heads have to roll then so be it and the sooner the better.
