Huw Jenkins: ‘Swansea City must be ready to lose Brendan Rodgers’
HUW Jenkins admits Swansea City’s success under Brendan Rodgers means they must be prepared to lose their manager.
Rodgers signed a new three-and-a-half year contract at the Liberty Stadium last week and expressed a desire to establish Swansea as a Premier League club.
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Brendan Rodgers’s reputation continues to grow
And though Jenkins hopes Rodgers will be around for a long time yet, he accepts that the Northern Irishman will be on the radar for the top clubs because of the work he has done at the Liberty.
Swansea have had seven managers since the club’s current owners took the reins a decade ago.
And Jenkins concedes that Swansea’s decision-makers cannot hide from the fact that Rodgers could be tempted away by a rival.
“Of course we want to have stability,” said the Swansea chairman, “but we know that the reality is sometimes different.
“We know where we are placed in terms of finances and club structure compared to some of the clubs at the top end of the Premier League.
“We can only do so much to keep everything together and to keep working as we are.”
Swansea lost Roberto Martinez to Wigan in 2009 after the Spaniard grew frustrated with the club’s failure to spend in the transfer market and pump cash into a training ground.
Paulo Sousa also walked out a year later, to join Leicester City, although Swansea were not disappointed when he left.
Losing Rodgers would be a hammer blow given the progress he has inspired in his 19 months in charge.
But Jenkins concedes that it could be impossible to stop Swansea’s bright young boss leaving if one of the top-flight’s heavyweights comes calling.
“We are very happy to be settled and very pleased that everything is moving along in the right way,” he added.
“We want that to continue for years to come, but the fact is that things change sometimes.
“We have all experienced enough over the past ten years to know that we have got to be ready for every eventuality at all times, but let’s hope that situation (where Swansea need to find a new manager) is a long way off.”
Rodgers’s new deal means Swansea will be entitled to a significant sum of compensation should he leave for another club.
He has already been linked with Tottenham amid strong suggestions that Harry Redknapp will take the England job.
And Rodgers is sure to be mentioned as a contender to take over at former club Chelsea if Andre Villas-Boas’s turbulent spell in charge at Stamford Bridge comes to an end any time soon.
“Given the way we have performed as a club and the football we have played, it’s quite natural that our manager is going to be linked to other clubs,” Jenkins conceded. “Whether it is Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal, Liverpool or whoever, we better get used to the fact that our manager is going to be mentioned if those jobs come up.
“Brendan and (Norwich’s) Paul Lambert are probably going to be mentioned whenever a job comes up. That’s just a fact of life.”
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by Philosoraptor
Friday, February 24 2012, 1:17PM
“Paul, the comment was more aimed at the negatives who frequent the stadium because we don't hoof the ball up the field. Was kinda hoping it would appear in the paper but with my second paragraph that wasn't ever going to be likely lol...
KP, he made the statement because every newspaper is mentioning BR's name for the Tottenham job which nobody knows if it is still going to be taken by Redknapp come the summer. So if Harry does take the England job, Jenkins is just telling the folks of our city that our man is one of the targets. He is simply asking them to understand how difficult it is for a manager to turn down managing a European competition club and how difficult it is for a club to keep a manager who might be tempted by the prospect of managing that European competition club. It was probably the right thing to do because keeping silent about it, and then seeing him suddenly go, would have led to accusations that Swansea didn't want to keep him here.”
by Jimmy_Blue
Wednesday, February 22 2012, 12:25PM
“Rodgers will be able to spend what the club can afford to give him. SCFC will invest as much as the club can afford to in training facilities. It is what it is. We spend what we can afford and no more.
All this talk of "meeting Rodgers's ambitions" is lunacy. He knew the score when he took over and he knows the score now. We will never go down the road of overspending again, no matter who demands it. If he was unhappy with that then he wouldn't have signed a new contract.”
by hacker_jack
Wednesday, February 22 2012, 10:52AM
“by PaulStuartMonday, February 20 2012, 5:04PM
"Hacker,
One thing laughable, and totally negative, is a lack of ambition and passion for our club. Of course we can't compete financially but we could on the the pitch given total backing to BR.
No reason why we can't unless HJ keeps looking backwards and supporters agree with his extremely SHREWD style of running the club. The past has gone. The future, given the chance, could be brilliant and we wouldn't even be talking about losing our manager."
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Paul, we are competing on the pitch despite not competing financially and a large portion of that is due to Rogers. He will (as any manager would) believe that with a bigger financial pot he could achieve even better results, if there is a chance to go to a club that can offer than then he will likely go and we should wish him well.
Saying that Huw should have more ambition is easy, however it is also not a realistic view. We have shown ambition in the last three years, breaking our transfer record each time, this year we have invested in several 7 figure transfer fees for the first time and are no doubt paying players the biggest contracts in our history. We are investing in the club in terms of commercial ability, youth and training facilities and looking to invest in improving the stadium to generate more income. This is the correct course of action for a small but growing club such as ours.
I fully expect us to invest more in players again in the summer, but the amount available will be dwarfed by at least 10 other clubs, half of whom might be looking for managers come the summer.
Realistically you may well end up with the Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal jobs all up for grabs, which in turn could create a cascade effect.”
by KP287
Tuesday, February 21 2012, 7:34PM
“Philo, I like may others want to know why HJ came out with this statement halfway through our first season in the premier league. Is it an educated comment, he is leaving end of the season? Or is it a completely and utterley pathetic to say this, when there are more experienced managers out there, we could go on a bad run and finish 17th, Lambert and Norwich could finish in the top 8, so Lambert may be a better choice etc...
There are so many variables and this is BRs` first season, why at this point in time make this idiotic statement???”
by PaulStuart
Tuesday, February 21 2012, 5:55PM
“Philo,
I'm sure nobody here will disagree with your first para.
It seems though that most agree HJ's coments, which prompted this long running exchange of views, suggest he has a problem which he has to deal with for the successful future of SCFC. If you disagree with other supporters' opinions then don't give up caring for them. Rather you continue with your many excellent postings in the past. I have to disagree with you on this one though. We share the same hopes and aspirations.”
by Philosoraptor
Tuesday, February 21 2012, 12:46PM
“Nobody here... nobody at all, could blame Rodgers for wanting to leave for a team like Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Man City or Man Utd.
And if anybody here disagree's with then guess what... I don't care for your opinion and if you don't like that, then that is your problem and I suggest you deal with it.”
by divingtulip
Monday, February 20 2012, 9:18PM
“h j, is lacking ambition first we got the best manager in the premier and to keep the best you gave him the best deal and show the club is going forward like more money for new players when we need them and a new indoor training ground ,we got a great future ahead of us ,and i disagree with h j we going to lose him get a good manger ready ,then make comments like that
hopefully the board read these comments and back BR all the way”
by PaulStuart
Monday, February 20 2012, 5:04PM
“Hacker,
One thing laughable, and totally negative, is a lack of ambition and passion for our club. Of course we can't compete financially but we could on the the pitch given total backing to BR.
No reason why we can't unless HJ keeps looking backwards and supporters agree with his extremely SHREWD style of running the club. The past has gone. The future, given the chance, could be brilliant and we wouldn't even be talking about losing our manager.”
by hacker_jack
Monday, February 20 2012, 1:24PM
“Strange thing to come out and say but a thoroughly honest thing as well.
Anyone claiming we can match ambitions over the next few seasons with any of the top 7 or 8 teams is frankly laughable. We do not have the same history, infrastructure or revenue streams to compete on a level playing field at that level. If a Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea or Arsenal come in we haven't a hope of keeping him or anyone for that matter.
As for the succession planning comment. Liverpool are practically the ONLY example where such an idea has actually worked. And they have had plenty of failures to go along with the successes as well, anyone remember Roy Evans? The vast majority of top clubs end up hiring someone from outside the club 99% of the time because most of the best managers are already working as #1s.
Identifying a candidate to work with the Swans style was exactly the process that brought Rogers to the Liberty in the first place. As for Gary Monk, no chance, I wouldn't want to see any player turned manager overnight like that, what ability has Monk shown to be able to coach and manage a side? After a few years coaching experience maybe, but not now.”
by Jack5y
Monday, February 20 2012, 12:46PM
“I think that Huw is saying that if one of the big clubs comes knocking for Brendon, then he will be off. We have all seen in the past that more money elsewhere will lead to a manager or player leaving.
If one of the big Premiership clubs come in for BR in the future, ofcourse he will be gone.
We cant compete with the wages that the bigger clubs pay out .
We never thought that Roberto would go, but he did. Brendon will be no different. At least Huw realises this fact.”