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Sigurdsson: Blame players, not Bradley, for Swansea struggles

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While Bob Bradley’s Swansea City tenure has not gotten off to an ideal start, he certainly has the support of his players.

Star midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson rushed to his manager’s defense as Bradley has come under fire after earning only two points from his first five matches in charge of the last-place club. Sigurdsson’s message was simple: blame us, not Bradley.

“Having only six points is not down to the manager, it’s down to us the players,” said Sigurdsson. “All of the boys like the manager and the way he’s training us is very good so it is down to us to perform and get the results.”

Sigurdsson expressed his respect for Bradley’s managerial style, often noted as very direct and accountable towards players under his charge.

“He talks to us individually, talks to us man to man. He tells you straight if you are not doing it right. We owe him and we owe the club a few wins.” he stated.

“Personally I have felt for the last few weeks it is just around corner and it has not come yet but hopefully this is the start and it is just around the corner.”

Comments

  1. SIggy was found out by Guidolin who thought him the best player in the squad but still started preferring others in the 10 position. He hasn’t performed well since last season. Bob comes in picks him without question and gives him the armband whenever possible. Leading players regally come out in favour of the boss.
    But others have asked to move in January including Baston – record signing in August this year!
    And Bradley is so far out of his comfort zone he should be replaced. He should never have been considered for the job. This is isn’t French second division and our new owners really did insults us with this appointment.

    Reply
    • I love when snobby Brits come on here and act like they know more about the global game.. Bob Bradley has coached at the World Cup level.. that not good enough for your little club Jacko?

      Give the man some time… he has won everywhere he has managed while consistently dealing with a limited talent pool which is precisely where your club is at right now.

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  2. I think management will try to protect him through January to bring in some help, but he needs a couple of results. However, they’ve lost ground to every team except Crystal Palace over the last five games, you can’t be in last place and constantly losing ground, the cost to the owners is to great to go down.

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  3. Not at all surprised to see players come to the defense of Bradley based on the type of man/manager he is. Unfortunately, results do matter and Bradley needs to get things going asap.

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  4. People need to realize that it is often not how you start, but how you finish. A lot of times that is determined by who you play when. I remember a couple of years ago Arsenal had a bad start and about this time of year they lost to Manu U by around 7-1. They were something like 15th in the table and all kinds of people were calling for Wenger to be sacked. Arsenal finished the year in 3rd. Arsenal has qualified for the Champions League for, I think, 15 years in a row, something no other EPL team can claim. You need to look at a whole body of work when judging a coach.

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    • Arsenal and Swansea? Yeah, pretty much the same thing….not. I would argue that at a club like Swansea, with the situation that Bob found himself in when he took over, its probably vital to get off to a decent start. I’d be very surprised if Bob is still the manager at the end of the season.

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      • true, arsenal aren’t swansea; meaning swansea’s goal isn’t to make the champions league, just to survive.

        so if the arsenal/swansea comparison is too hard to swallow, maybe try the comparison that sigurdsson himself brought up: last season, swansea were struggling to avoid relegation as late as january, but ended up finishing a respectable 12th.

        and i disagree completely with your idea that it’s “vital” for teams like swansea to start well. i think they brought in bradley for the long haul, and, as another writer pointed out, this is basically his preseason–still trying to figure out who works best where. while i wouldn’t be shocked if they fired bradley before may–it is the epl, after all–i actually think he might be one of the safer managers in england at the moment.

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