Garry Monk believes speculation about him being on the brink of losing his job at the Liberty Stadium is driven by an “agenda” from outside the club, and the Swansea City manager insists that he has not been told by Huw Jenkins, the chairman, that his position is under threat.
Swansea have lost their way since a bright start to the season, picking up only one win from their past nine matches in all competitions, and Monk needs no telling that results need to improve. He is dismayed, however, at reports that emerged in the wake of the defeat against Norwich City in the last round of Premier League matches, when it was suggested that Swansea would sack him, and talked about “outside influences” being at work.
“Of course I’ve been disappointed with a some of the things that were written, I think a lot of it has been irresponsible, I think it’s people trying to take things out of context and have an agenda behind it,” Monk said. “But those people are nothing to do with Swansea City and I can’t control what people say out of here. The thing I need to focus on is what is said within the walls of Swansea City.”
Monk laughed at the suggestion he had held “crisis talks” with Jenkins after losing at Carrow Road. “It’s so wide of the truth. I have a great relationship with Huw, we have regular communication all the time. I don’t have to be spoken to by anyone to understand my situation, you have to get results, it’s as simple as that. What you’ve learned from management in recent seasons is that if you don’t pick up results in a short space of time, your job can come under threat. But I don’t need anyone to tell me that and no one has told me that.”
Swansea host a struggling Bournemouth side on Saturday in what will be seen by many as a must-win game for the Welsh club, especially with a tricky run of fixtures to come. Monk, who led Swansea to eighth place last season, their highest Premier League finish, spoke about the importance of everyone showing unity to turn things around.
“I have considered the situation in my own head and no one puts more pressure on me than myself and no one has been more frustrated than me with this period and run of results,” he said. “I am not going to cry about it or go into a shell, I am going to come out fighting, show character and spirit and what you believe in and make sure the players do the same and put it right on the pitch.”
Although Pep Clotet has been linked with the Brentford job, Monk insisted that his assistant manager would not be going anywhere. “It is a non-starter. It is speculation,” he said. “We have discussed things but he is as determined as me to make sure we come through things. We know we are not all going to be here forever but we are focused on Swansea and continuing the good job we have done and he is as committed as I am.”
