Why Swansea had to axe Michael Laudrup before it was too late

Michael Laudrup

Football is a cruel business. We all know that by now.

One minute you can be flavour of the month, the next, cast into the shadows and forgotten about by all and sundry.

This is just as true with players, but at least their shadow-kicking is supplemented by hefty wage packets, which can make that position on the bench all the more comfortable.

With managers this counts for double. You can be the saviour one second, taking the team to new heights, before a turn in results sees a call for your head and a duly obliging chairman frequently more than happy to wield the axe.

Michael Laudrup is the latest to suffer the brutal reality of football, after his tenure at Swansea came to an end, nearly 12 months after landing the club’s first ever major trophy in their history, having tasted glory in the League Cup last February.

But after a run of poor results and rumoured discontent behind the scenes, the Swans decided to severe ties with the Danish legend following their 2-0 defeat to West Ham on Saturday, with the club just two points away from the relegation zone.

Swansea have been dragged into the relegation dogfight

The outpouring of some over social networking sites suggested a feeling of shock and injustice at Laudrup’s dismissal, and while some leeway should be granted for his previous successes, football is a game that lives in the immediate present and Swansea are in some peril currently.

They have managed just six of their 24 league games so far this season, for which the more eagle-eyed of you will notice is a win percentage of just 25%, with the second edge of the sword showing that 12 games (50%) have ended in defeat, with only one win in the last ten matches.

The Welsh outfit’s poor run of results is only bettered by fellow strugglers Hull

Laudrup was quick to stir discontent behind the scenes at the Liberty Stadium as well, having quickly followed up his League Cup success with a demand for a war chest to go into the summer transfer market with, claiming his squad was not good enough to take the club any further.

He had already been given a sizeable amount by chairman Huw Jenkins, and with Swansea being one of the more financially-sensibly run clubs in the league, it was an unfair ask of a supportive chairman, especially if you consider Laudrup had previously been manager of Mallorca in Spain, who suffered complete financial meltdown.

To analyse who he did spend that money on, there is a lot left to be desired on that front as well. Michu will no doubt be considered a success despite an injury-hit second season in Wales, while Chico Flores can also be applauded as a shrewd buy, unless you’re Sam Allardyce.

Pablo Hernandez has been very hit and miss, claiming three assists in his 14 appearances this year, but his passing accuracy of 82% is somewhat average for a ball-retaining side like Swansea, who have averaged 56% possession in their matches this season.

Alex Pozuelo has claimed an 88% passing accuracy in comparison, but he has achieved just one assist all season and is yet to open his league account for the Swans from his midfield position, with Swansea having scored just 29 goals all season.

Jose Canas has won only 33% of his tackles as the holding midfielder, Jonjo Shelvey has converted 9.5% of his many wild efforts on goal, Roland Lamah and Jordi Amat have made little to no impact, while Alvaro Vazquez is still in negative points in terms of Squawka performance score.

Then there’s Wilfried Bony, the club-record £12 million buy. Seven goals is not a bad return for a striker signed from the Dutch Eredivisie, but it comes from a shot accuracy of just 37%. He has created just 13 chances for team-mates in his 20 appearances, despite being the focal point of the attack, claiming just one assist.

It’s fair to say Laudrup has not had the rub of the green in some cases, with no single Swansea player having played every single one of the 24 Premier League games so far.

But eight league victories in the 35 games played since beating Bradford at Wembley is simply not good enough, especially when coupled with the amount of investment he put in over the summer.

Progression in the Europa league is no safeguard, as Andre Villas-Boas can testify at Spurs. Nobody likes this side of the game, but with Swansea deep in the relegation mire and no sign of a revival, this is a move that probably works out best for all parties involved.