On Tuesday Swansea City announced they had sacked manager Michael Laudrup.
Laudrup, 49, has been in charge for less than two full seasons at the Liberty Stadium, as he led the Welsh club to a ninth placed finish during the 2012-13 season and won the club its first-ever piece of major silverware by lifting the Capital One Cup in his debut season.
But after a faltering second season in charge of the Swans, Laudrup leaves South Wales with his former team just two points off the relegation zone and out of form after just one win in their last 10 Premier league matches.
“It is a decision we have taken reluctantly,’’ Swansea City chairman Huw Jenkins said on the clubs website. “But it’s a decision made in the best interests of Swansea City Football Club and our supporters. It is the first time in nearly 10 years that the club has parted with a manager in this way, but we had to remove the constant uncertainty surrounding the club and Michael’s long-term future with us.”
SWANSEA CITY vs. CARDIFF CITY, WATCH LIVE ON NBC, SATURDAY, 12:30pm ET
Rumors have persisted in recent days that Laudrup was on borrowed time at Swansea, with the Danish manager winning just 34.5 percent of his his 89 games in charge of the Swans since he took over in June 2012. However after delivering Europa League soccer, and Swansea are still in the knockout stages of the competition, his small squad struggled to cope with competing in European competitions during midweek as well as succeeding in the PL every single weekend.
Following the shock statement from the club, current player Garry Monk has been installed as the new head coach for ‘the foreseeable future’ alongside Laudrup’s assistant Alan Curtis, as the veteran Swansea City defender gets his first crack at management without any previous experience. Monk, 34, has played in all four divisions of the English leagues for the Swans after he moved to the Liberty Stadium back in 2004.
Monk is seen as a local hero by the fans, but he now has a mammoth task on his hands if he’s going to keep the Welsh side in the Premier League. First up for Monk is a massive clash, watch live on NBC this Saturday at 12:30pm ET, as Swansea host South Wales rivals Cardiff City in a relegation six-pointer at the Liberty Stadium.
Giving more details on the decision to sack Laudrup, Swansea felt it was the right time to freshen things up ahead of a monster relegation battle between now and May.
“I had a meeting with Michael today in a final attempt to support him and establish a way to improve the work of the backroom team to secure the results we need over the final 14 Premier League games,” Swansea Chairman Jenkins continued. “However, after thinking long and hard about the best way forward, I felt it was unlikely we would achieve a stable environment at the club to allow us to get back to basics and produce the performance levels that have served Swansea City so well over the last few years.”
Following the decision to axe Laudrup, a former Danish international who is still regarded as one of the most skillful players to ever play for European giants such as Juventus, Real Madrid and Barcelona, it does seem like a strange move to replace him with Monk who is still technically on the playing squad.
However Swansea’s approach has always been to promote from within the club, Monk is familiar with the setup after being with the team for 10 years, and will aim to use the resources already at the club to help steer the Swans to safety. Not many people saw this one coming, but no doubt Laudrup will be in another top job very soon in the Premier League or elsewhere in Europe.
Right now, his old club face a huge battle to stay in England’s top-flight.
