Des Buckingham has already made his feelings clear on Swansea City
Swansea City are on the hunt for a new manager following the sacking of Luke Williams on Monday.
With the team on a rotten run of form and languishing in 17th place in the Championship, Swansea chairman Andy Coleman made the decision to part company with Williams. You can ready about the final hours of his reign here.
It was a call Coleman made with a heavy heart, he said. “This was a difficult decision and one that has not been taken lightly. Luke has led the club through some challenging periods and we appreciate his hard work," the chairman wrote in a statement issued on Monday evening. Sign up to our Swansea City newsletter here.
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“I am aware of the effort he and his staff have put in throughout the last 13 months for Swansea City. I want to personally thank Luke, Ryan and George for their dedication and the sacrifices they have made on behalf of the club.
“Unfortunately, since the turn of the year our performances and results have not been of the standard required at this level. Ultimately, that has led us to conclude a change is required in order to bring about an improvement in our showings on the pitch.
“We will keep supporters informed of developments when we are in a position to announce a new head coach, while Alan (Sheehan), his staff and our squad focus on our upcoming fixtures.”
The search for Williams' successor now begins in earnest, with bookmakers already formulating a list of potential candidates for the post. Early suggestions from betting sites should always be treated with a pinch of salt, but the early favourite, former Oxford United manager Des Buckingham, has previously made clear his admiration of the club he has now been linked to.
Speaking in November last year, before he was removed from his post with The U's, Buckingham said he appreciated the work done by Swansea and the identity that has permeated through to all levels.
Buckingham told the local press: “I like the club because even when I was a youth coach here or a reserve team coach, whenever you went to Swansea, whether you played their under-nines, their under-12s, their under-15s, their under-18s or their first team, they were really clear.
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“When I talk about us having an identity, they really have one. I think that really helps in terms of recruitment for their players, but also helps them recruit for a manager, and in Luke’s case, a manager which suits the club rather than a manager coming in and changing everything.
“They’ve got that identity, which is drip-fed throughout their club, and it’s something we’re trying to establish here.
“We feel we’ve got it to a space in the first team, and it’s now trying to replicate that through the club.”
Whether that identity that Buckingham speaks of remains is questionable, with the fabled Swansea Way a distant memory for many supporters at present. If anything, the new man, whoever it is, will be charged with forging a new path for the club and re-establishing a brand of football which firstly achieves Championship safety then develops into stability and progression.
Alan Sheehan has been appointed caretaker manager following Williams' dismissal and will be in charge when Blackburn Rovers visit SA1 this weekend.
