Bob Bradley May Be In Trouble At Swansea City
By Ty Duffy
Former USMNT coach Bob Bradley became the first American to coach in the Premier League with Swansea City. Thus far, it’s not going so well for him.
The Swans have just five points from Bradley’s seven matches in charge. They have allowed 19 goals, including nine in their last two matches. The team lost 5-0 at Tottenham last weekend and sits on the bottom of the Premier League table. The club has come under criticism for hiring Bradley instead of a more experienced Premier League manager.
Per the Telegraph, Swansea is conducting a “wide-ranging review” of the club and how to avoid relegation. That review undoubtedly will include whether to keep Bradley.
The next few matches will be critical. Swansea City plays five before Jan 1st, including two potential relegation six-pointers with Sunderland and West Ham. Not getting a positive result against the former at home on Saturday could be devastating for his chances.
Cutting Bradley after little more than two months in charge without a transfer window to supplement the squad would be brutal. But, so would the financial ramifications of relegation.
Five years of consistent Premier League play have made Swansea City, in the third division as recently as 2008, one of the Top 30 richest clubs in the world. That growth came before the EPL’s titanic new TV deal kicked in this season.
Swansea City’s American owners removed manager Francesco Guidolin in October because they could not let the club drift any further. The club has been drifting.