05.01.2017 Views

The_Guardian_-_2016-12-29

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

| Next | Section Menu | Main Menu | Previous |<br />

Swansea City<br />

Sportblog<br />

Bob Bradley had to go but blame for Swansea’s<br />

plight lies in the boardroom<br />

Stuart James<br />

<strong>The</strong> manager’s position had become untenable but the chairman, Huw Jenkins, has presided over a<br />

number of poor decisions, both managerially and in the transfer market, as Swansea have lurched<br />

from one crisis to another<br />

Swansea picked up only eight points from Bob Bradley’s 11 matches in charge. Photograph: Michael<br />

Steele/Getty Images<br />

It was just gone 7pm on Boxing Day and a small group of reporters were walking away from the<br />

Liberty Stadium when a Swansea City supporter approached. “Has he gone yet, boys?” asked the fan,<br />

smiling in a way that made it clear it would be viewed as good news if there was confirmation that<br />

Bob Bradley was clearing his desk.<br />

That moment arrived 24 hours later, when Swansea announced that the first American to manage in<br />

the Premier League had been sacked after less than three months in charge. Bradley won only two out<br />

of 11 games, picked up just eight points, conceded <strong>29</strong> goals, shipped three or more on eight<br />

occasions, made a total of 33 team changes after starting his reign with a 3-2 defeat at Arsenal and<br />

fielded six different back-four combinations.<br />

Bob Bradley sacked as Swansea City manager<br />

after only 11 games in charge<br />

Read more<br />

Quite a set of numbers, all in all, and it is fair to say that by the end of the drubbing at the hands of<br />

West Ham United on Boxing Day, during which a significant number of Swansea supporters chanted

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!