Monk - A Bigger Job Than We Realise?

We desperately need a win to settle the ship.
But,I just can't see where it's coming from.We are poor.

 

5 i do worry for us on saturday away at Saints. Just have to pray that somehow we turn our appalling form round. Hopefully with the return of ki it should help settle us a little but where are the goals going to come from. Gomis is utter garbbage and I hope he is on his way very soon. The issue is will they replace him with someone or are we just going to go with Oli and Emnes. There is just not enough goals in us especially as I feel we need to score 2 or 3 to win a game due to the issues at the back.

 

watching sth Korea atm 2-0 v Iraq

 

It's amazing how many goals Bony scored given we didn't play to his aerial strength. He did create most of those goals himself.

 

Having spent most of my posts lately proving that Dai Twp talks ****...I thought I'd add my own two-penneth to the debate on Monk.

First of all I will have to refer to Laudrup a little bit as reference to what came before is the only way I can express myself clearly on what is happening now...so, my apologies to those offended but hopefully I will give a balanced view throughout this post.

The team Monk inherited
Laudrup's team was a very good team who had some problems they were struggling to overcome in their 2nd season.
The rest of the League had had a good look at how we played and were improving in their efforts to stop us playing this way (This is still a factor that is often overlooked...when a team rolls up to play Swansea there are some things they are guaranteed to have been drilling for a fortnight or more in preparation, namely; Pressing us high up the pitch, stopping our wingers, bullying our midfield, attacking set pieces).
Laudrup was to his credit trying to find some solutions to these problems and we often had better second halfs following instruction from he and his coaches at half-time.
We still passed and kept the ball well but through injuries to key attacking players, incorporating a new centre forward (Bony) and fatigue (from Europa) they had struggled to create enough chances....this led to less goals, which meant we didn't sometimes get the results our all round play merited, which led to a crisis of confidence, in-fighting and finally half the team weren't even putting in the shift that they should (as professionals).

When Monk took over this team he was credited with "bringing back the Swansea Way" after a couple of good performances. In my view this was more to do with the timely return from injury of several players, a reaction to the increased spotlight brought on by the change of manager and some personal ambition in potential career defining games (the Napoli fixtures). We then petered out and stumbled over the line....we were all worried with 3/4 games left remember.

The Summer
We spent far too much time and energy replacing good players who either didn't want to be here anymore or weren't wanted...instead of improving the areas of the team that needed improving.
It can be argued that a lot of Monk's signings were an upgrade on those who went out of the door (we are never all going to agree on this issue but at least we can agree that the replacements were bought from the suitable shelf of the shop).
The problem is that our weak areas were not addressed; Back-up Keeper, Right-back, Left-back (Once Davies was sold), Defensive Midfield.

Monk's culpability for this is debateable but, for arguments sake, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say that that there was nothing he could do to stop the exodus and so he and the club had to spend all their time replacing players rather than improving positions (To me this is a direct consequence of the timing and nature of Laudrup's dismissal...If Laudrup had stayed on I believe we would have finished in a similar league position and he, or a suitable replacement if he wanted out, would have spent the summer addressing the 4 key positions we were weak in plus adding a bit more attacking quality to find those final balls; Back-up Striker, Winger and possibly Attacking Midfielder if Michu is ****ed....probably De Guzman would have been signed for this role.
We would have had a summer of signing maybe 6/7 players whilst shipping out some weaker players...Tiendalli, Monk, Tate, Tremmel, Vazquez, Donnelly and I would have said Ki (at the time!)

I believe we would be in stronger shape now if this had been the case, but there we go.

First half of this season
The team was now properly Monk's. He had a tougher job on than many expected with the amount of upheaval in the summer and he should be given a lot of credit for some good work done;
1) Getting the team to work hard for eachother
2) Getting the team to believe again (restoring confidence)
3) Getting Ki to feel loved and trying his best
4) Playing Jazz more
5) Restoring Siggy's confidence after his tough time at Spurs (although, he always had the quality to come through)
6) Playing Montero before his mates Routledge/Dyer when it became clear that he was more of a threat
7) Giving Barrow a shot
8) The points his team accumulated

The problem of the opposition becoming more adept at stopping us was also a headache for Monk. We had less possession but there were still good periods of slick passing within games and most importantly we cut teams open several times a game, creating good chances.

Second half of the season headaches
There are some very important factors that are making Monk's life difficult at the moment and we shouldn't lose sight of this;
1) Bony Sale
2) Montero injury
3) Siggy carrying an injury and now getting himself suspended
4) Routledge's loss of form followed by injury
5) Ki's trip to Oz
6) Trying to integrate Gomis with more pressure on the situation than should be.

Some of these should be resolved by mid-February and I expect to see an up turn in form then.
The biggest headache is the loss of Bony. At the half-way stage I stated that we always looked a threat with Bony, Montero, Siggy and Routledge in the team. I reckon I understated Bony's importance. We came to rely on playing it up to Bony and it sticking. This became our way around the high pressing of the opposition. Every other aspect of our good play under Monk stemmed from this platform that Bony provided imo. It's a very difficult problem to solve to be fair

Stuff Monk deserves criticism for
1) Defensive organization at set-pieces, simply unforgiveable that we are still cocking this up
2) Team selections sometimes - Play Chelsea with our injured no. 10 at DM?!?
3) Substitutions - e.g. On Saturday, he takes off our only DM instead of Jonjo Liability when we are down to 10 men?!?
4) Our lack of discipline - e.g. Siggy's challenge was a stupid challenge. He opts to defend him in the press conference. He should be saying something like "He's a key player to us and will be back in the team but it was a stupid challenge of his that has that made life more difficult for us and I'll be having a word with him"
5) Whatever has gone on with Gomis. Either he should have kept him happy or have a replacement lined up and get rid. I can see why he wants to keep him, he doesn't need the hassle of integrating a new striker right now but he should have managed the situation better

Conclusion
In no way should we sack a Swansea manager mid season whilst in the top 10 with 30 points at this stage. I don't want us to become that club.
I believe he is the wrong character to lead us long term, I believe he doesn't have the solutions we need to the problems we face in the future. I believe the longer he is in charge the more bad decisions will be made which will lead to our further deterioration...but I can't see him being replaced in the Summer so I will support him at the stadium and hope that he proves me, and others, wrong.

 

That made me laugh Oh how different a season GM could be having!

I don't think many (any? ok, one) of us were too keen with the appointment at the time and I can't personally "hate" Monk for how things are going right now. He's obviously trying his best but unfortunately (obviously?!) the PL is definitely not the place to be learning your trade in your first managerial position! Huw and the board took a punt here and a very dangerous gamble. It looks like we'll be ok this season but unless there's a dramatic improvement in GM's motivational and tactical abilty, which seems wholly unlikely, then the board need to focus their thinking going into the summer. We've established ourselves as a decent PL team and seriously put that position at risk next season.

I thought your post was very fair and made a lot of good points Terror

 

A well put opinion from Terror ball, but I believe you have ignored the most critical aspect of the change of manager and players - "The team was now properly Monk's. He had a tougher job on than many expected with the amount of upheaval in the summer and he should be given a lot of credit for some good work done;'

And that is Monk's part in instigating and or developing the situation (for which he has form).

 

Earlier in the post I wrote this Bob;

"Monk's culpability for this (the sacking and the exodus) is debateable but, for arguments sake, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say that that there was nothing he could do to stop the exodus and so he and the club had to spend all their time replacing players rather than improving positions..."

 

Terror you're mellowing. Giving people the benefit of the doubt? Before you know it you'll be hugging Dai

 

Strangling the bugger more like

 

Excellent stuff,Terror. Pulitzer Prize in the post.

One thing though,why on earth did you feel the need to apologise for referring to Laudrup?

Anyone "offended" by the sight of his name must have deeper problems than I thought.

 

It's the new cuddly Terror.

BTW, I think a full nelson could count as a hug.

 

That would surely depend on who was giving the full nelson.

 

fair enough

 

Culpability .... you poison your well you take responsibility.

Monk chose to **** where he eats with respect to the managers he played for, and with respect to many of the players he played with. Both are major faults especially when viewed in the context of his role as club captain - his actions were an abrogation of the duties of a club captain in terms of being a leader, in terms of supporting the manager and coaching staff, and being an effective liaison where required (I stress this - only where required) between the manager / coaches and the players.

HJ / Board / Executives are responsible for not managing their human capital properly and for not identifying and resolving the destructive and erosive currents in play within the club. This is not a fortune 500 IBM we're talking about with tens of thousands of employees, in relative terms it's a mom-and-pop operation. There is literally nobody in the organization they don't know and have never met - its practically impossible and would be undesirable. Such a situation is unforgivable given that this is a football club and cohesion on and off the field is a critical element of success. All people don't have to be best buddies, that's never going to happen, but you can't have denigration and humiliation through practical jokes and disrespect of one player or one set of players by a person (Monk) who is the club captain and the person with the designated role of creating harmony and cohesion.

Under the circumstances, and the truth in all of these matters is slowly seeping out, Monk is responsible for poisoning the well and the exodus that naturally results from that. I don't see how any sane executive management team could keep such an individual in such a key and pivotal position in any business never mind a football club. It's absolutely ****ing intolerable.

 

It sounds like Yankee has experience of management and what he says is true. The God at the Top management style disappeared in the 80s for a good reason -- it didn't work. The more Monk is thought of as a manager rather than a coach the further he gets from an example of good practice and effectiveness. The board could still bring in an experienced mentor to try to save the situation, but that would require Monk to entertain the concept of being wrong.

 

I am amazed at how little some on here knows about our club, It does make me laugh though i must admit but seriously why do some know so little and give it large on here.. you could not be further from the facts if it slapped you in the face... More please this is fun that i send on to my mates at the club for a laugh and they piss themselves at such cods wallop

 

Setting aside expertise in football for the moment - which I think the consensus says he doesn't really have (if you have to excuse is mistakes because he's a rookie then he's not ready - the top leagues are not a place to play with training wheels on - it's a job, not a game, and your paid to do it). He has lower league experience as a player, was not able to step up in the same manner as Ash, Leon and Angel, and has not demonstrated his ability to complete licensing.

Look at Monk as a person. He was the wrong selection for a club captain. His conduct and his own statements testify to that. He was the wrong selection for coach and manager especially in a club where his conduct poisoned the well. He could not be trusted to assume a lesser role and be mentored. He could not be trusted to be open minded and work to learn - his comments in his book about Sousa testify that. His own comments this past weekend after the Rovers match point to the fact that he is not grounded in his own reality and has no humility whatsoever. Compare to Mourhino's interview - full of humility, self-examination and praise and respect for the opposition. Mourhino has an ego the size of Texas and he has proven season after season that he can coach the top talent and extract full value. Yet Mourhino understands that even he can **** it up and to admit it to a world audience and express embarrassment and shame. This is a leader.

A leader can lead by example - just by being the best at what he does, in his work ethic, in his attitude to others. Or, a leader can lead by his ability to communicate and motivate others to perform - Shankley, Ferguson, Rogers - all good examples of managers and coaches that can reach inside players and say / do the right things at the right times to make a difference. Monk has a deficit in both these regards.

Monk is not a leader, through is own deeds and words. The club must have a leader. Somebody with a clear sense of themselves, their beliefs in the game, how they want it played, and with the foundation of professional license and experience as a player and a coach to execute. Somebody that is open to learning and flexible enough to deal with other cultures. Somebody that can treat people with respect and dignity and that not only has the ability to teach and mentor but the willingness to do it.

 

In response to Yankees post above.

Compare the fortunes of Southampton and Swansea this season. Are their players, individually, better than ours? Did they lose some of their stars in the Summer? When did their new manager take over?

What is the difference?

(All rhetorical)

 

There were a lot of problems behind closed doors under ML. I'd argue that it is weak management under ML that forced Monk, as club captain to act. After all, the Swansea Squad is like a family, and there were numerous rumours of a split in the damp.
I even got shot down on here for suggesting that the Spanish contingent and JDG refused to pass the ball to Bony when he and Michu were on the pitch together, even if Bony was in a much better position.
As club captain, and someone who had brought us up through the divisions, I have no problem with Monk speaking up for the good of the club.
Same with the brick incident with Chico that BK posted over the weekend which I believe to be true as BK gains nothing from lying, Monk again felt he had to intervene and imo correctly did.


As for Terrors post, it was a great balanced view which I fully agree with.