Following the madness between Cardiff City and Crystal Palace, there is more finger-pointing coming out of the English top flight, as it seems like a wave of paranoia has hit training grounds across the Premier League.
Swansea manager Garry Monk (pictured) said he believes someone is looking to ruffle feathers around the club in an attempt to sabotage performances on the pitch.
“We have got a good idea of the source that it has come from to try and unsettle us at this time,” Monk said during his press conference ahead of this weekend’s matches. The Swans manager is referring to what he believes is a deliberate leak following a training ground scuffle.
Monk said things were “blown out of proportion” when it was reported earlier this week that things got out of hand between players at training on more than one occasion. Swansea did confirm there were incidents but Monk insisted “everything is fine” and the club has “moved on.”
“I have my ideas of who it may be and stuff trying to unsettle us, but that definitely won’t be happening with this group,” Monk continued, insinuating there’s a particular place he believes the supposed leaks are coming from. “The media get hold of it and blow it out of proportion. The source, where they mention the stuff they mention, clearly comes from the outside because some of it was just bizarre, what they were saying. But that’s what people try to do, they try to unsettle you.”
Elsewhere in the Premier League, Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert refused to speak on the confusing and unexplained suspension of two Villa assistants.
Lambert cited a “legal investigation” as reasons he couldn’t speak on the issue, but confirmed the club had temporarily replaced assistants Ian Culverhouse and Gary Karsa earlier this week. Their replacements are Gordon Cowans and goalkeeper Shay Given.
According to the Birmingham Mail earlier this week, the suspensions were handed down when “relationships with players in the first team became fractured.” However, that wouldn’t explain the current investigation now ringing through Villa Park.
While Lambert was unable to speak on the two suspended assistants, he did gush about his two new coaches. “Gordon is an absolute club legend. He’s won the highest honour in the game. I have a good relationship with Gordon. He has been willing to come up and help and Shay is the same. [Given] has been about the block been involved in massive games before and he has come up and given me a hand as well.”
Aston Villa host Southampton this weekend, while Swansea City travel to Newcastle.
