Garry Monk can now be regarded as one of the finest young managers in Britain, if not Europe. His maturity in his first job in management makes it hard to believe that he is younger than the likes of Ryan Giggs and Roberto Martinez. In fact, when Michael Laudrup departed from the Liberty Stadium during the second half of last season, Monk was still on the books as a player.
In Laudrup’s only full season with Swansea, he accumulated a very impressive points tally of 46. With two games to go, Garry Monk and Swansea have already beaten that by ten. Brendan Rodgers’ only full-season at the helm for Swansea finished with 47 points. What’s more, Monk boasts a superior win ratio over Laudrup. It is significantly lower than that of Rodgers, but one must take into account that the majority of the games which contribute to his win ratio were in the Champioship, where the standard of opposition would have been considerably lower.
Although it is Monk’s first job in management, one must take into account the fact that he joined the Welsh side in 2004, and had been Captain since 2007, although he tended to spend more time on the bench for the last few years of his career. He knows the ins and outs of the club, and never had to face the obstacle of earning the respect of the back-room staff and players, as new managers have to.
What has impressed most about Monk’s career in management thus far is the level of application he has shown. Not once has he acted naively about the fact that he has been put into this position or accepted a loss. He feels as though his team should be winning every game and never ventures towards the land of excuses he could easily pull off, such as his lack of experience. Men in his position usually have the media on their side and are portrayed as good-guys, meaning that young managers are tentative when it comes to criticising referees or opposition managers, but not Monk. He isn’t one to shy away from the media and is a straight talker.
When Swansea lost star striker Wilfried Bony to Manchester City in January this year many punters predicted that Swansea would struggle to maintain their early season form. However, Monk has guided the Swans to six wins in their last ten games and more impressively has ensured that over the course of the season his side have never dropped out of the top half. That in itself is an achievement to be proud of for a middle-ground club who have been faced with a number of difficulties.
The signing of Gylfi Sigurdsson has proved to have been a masterstroke by Monk. The 25 year-old suffered a tough time at White Hart Lane for Tottenham but has returned to his former self this season, netting six goals and supplying ten assists. It seems as though it is Bony and not Gylfi who has suffered from his premature divorce as the Ivorian powerhouse has failed to net for City and his absence for the Swans has shown no stint in the form of the Icelandic International
Bafetimibi Gomis has benefited from the departure of Bony. The French striker had found it nearly impossible to find a place in the starting line-up due to Bony’s prowess, but since his departure he has stepped up to the plate. He has bagged six league goals this season, but these goals have been crucial, more often than not. Credit must go to Monk, who managed to pull a U-turn with Gomis, who was seemingly on his way out of the club prior to Bony’s transfer.
If Swansea and Monk spend their money wisely in the Summer Transfer window, a prolific striker top of the list, there is no reason why they cannot challenge for the Champions League. One may think that that’s an overreaction to a good season from Monk, but they have slipped under the radar and haven’t received as much praise as they probably deserve. Monk and Swansea can continue to grow, having spent their first few seasons firmly establishing themselves as a Premier League club. Now, need to make the next step; they need to show ambition. Garry Monk is the right man to do so.
