Soccer-Swansea should aim for more than just survival, says Monk

Aug 19 (Reuters) - Swansea's strong start to the Premier League campaign has left manager Gary Monk convinced his players should aim for more than just mere survival in the Premier League this season. Avoiding relegation at the end of this season will be more important for the clubs with the league's jaw-dropping 5.14 billion pounds domestic TV rights deal kicking in next summer. Swansea have made an impressive start to their campaign by picking up four points from two matches, including a 1-1 draw against champions Chelsea and a convincing 2-0 win over Newcastle United at the Liberty stadium. "I tried to make the point to the players last season that it wasn't a case of our job being done when we got to 40 points," the 36-year-old Monk was quoted as saying by the South Wales Evening Post. "I tried to make sure the players wanted more because they are better players than that. Of course you have to be mindful of relegation. "This is only our fifth year in the Premier League and you are always mindful of what can happen. But these players are better than that, and it's about making them understand that." Last season the club finished with 56 points for their best ever finish of eighth and Monk is hoping for a repeat of the strong show from his players. "We tried to do that last season and I think you saw a new maturity from them," Monk said. "Now the challenge for us is to try to replicate that even though the circumstances are a lot harder this year because of the TV deal. "Hopefully we can mature again this year." Meanwhile, midfieler Leon Britton has said he plans to stay on at the club for at least another year. "I spoke to the manager about two weeks ago and it was decided that the best thing for me was to stay here," said the 32-year-old, who has been with the club since December 2002. "It looks like I'll be staying here and I'm delighted with that. I've always said the first place I want to play is here at Swansea. Maybe things will change a bit and I can be involved a bit more, which would be great." (Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru)