Francesco Guidolin deserves respect - not endless paper talk

All we’ve heard over the last few days is speculation over who will take over from Francesco Guidolin. Will it be Ryan Giggs? Gianfranco Zola? Bob Bradley?

Hang on… last time I checked, Guidolin was still the manager of Swansea City!

Of course, the way the squad have performed over the past few weeks - both matches against Man City the exception - there’s no wonder rumours over a possible sacking have circulated, with plenty of fans calling for his head.

We know the Italian has got things wrong recently, with some questionable decisions in starting line-up and subs. But he deserves a lot more respect than some of the fans, the club and the media are giving him.

He came to south Wales last season when the Swans were in a poor state, tasked with cleaning up the mess Garry Monk had left behind. Not as easy job, but he did what was asked. Lest we forget, Swansea finished comfortably in 12th position, and recorded the club’s first Premier League win against Everton (away from home), and wins against Chelsea and Liverpool in his short time in charge.

Alright, nothing groundbreaking but a solid end to a poor season.

He hasn’t started this season well at all, but I can’t help feel the players aren’t helping. We’ve seen everything from laziness to contempt from many of the squad, and obviously Guidolin has to take the flak for this.

And the media have been firing heavily, linking everyone under the sun to the job despite no actual indication that he’s about to be sacked.

Sadly the club have allowed this to go on. For a historically well run football club, it’s as disrespectful for Swansea to keep silent on this issue. Release a statement backing Guidolin or get him out. Keeping quiet is the equivalent of watching your friend get bullied and just sitting back saying ‘I don’t want to get involved’.

Guidolin is not a bad manager, but he’s been brought to Swansea as a bit of a yes man and it’s clearly not working at the moment. Some fans claim he has killed the Swansea style of playing, but who are we fooling - that style of play was dead when Garry Monk was in charge.

If it was up to me (and it’s not…) I’d give Guidolin until Christmas. The squad showed a little fight against Man City on Saturday and was it not for the penalty, could well have gone on to win the match. A few decent matches, a few points, and suddenly things will look brighter. Unfortunately there’s a tough run of games at the moment so this may not happen instantly.

As a football club we’ve usually got behind the manager until it’s clear it’s not working out anymore. I’m not sure why this time it’s been done differently, but Guidolin needs backing or sacking - anything else is just cruel.