Where do Swansea now go from here?

It’s once again all change at Swansea with the not too surprising news that Bob Bradley has been relieved of his duties after just 11 Premier League matches. With boos ringing out around The Liberty Stadium during The Swans Boxing Day defeat to West Ham it was surely only going to be a matter of time before Bradley was shown the exit door.

The almost farcical reign of Bob Bradley which will be remembered for the equally farcical 5-4 win over Crystal Palace now comes to an end and the American will now join a list of foreign Premier League managerial failures such as Felix Magath, Jacques Santini and Luis Felipe Scolari.

For as well as Bradley came across in interviews he seemed woefully out of his depth. Plucked from the French Second Division to replace Francesco Guidolin it’s quite apparent that the clubs new American owners made the wrong decision.

But now the next decision they make is going to be absolutely crucial. For all their on pitch woes Swansea are still only four points from the safety and aren’t quite a lost cause just yet. Yes whoever comes in is going to have their work cut out but there is still more than half a season to turn things around.

Had Bradley stayed in charge then it seemed apparent that the club would have nosedived into The Championship. The appointment and then subsequent sacking of Bradley almost seems harsh on Guidolin. Hindsight may well be a wonderful thing but they would have been better off keeping the Italian in charge. He couldn’t have done any worse right now.

So now the question is who do the Swansea attempt to bring into the club to try and steady what seems to be a sinking ship. They have already made one huge incorrect decision and they simply can’t afford to make another if they are to maintain their Premier League status.

After appointing an American coach to much derision the early bookmakers money seems to point to getting a Welsh coach in at the helm and right now it seems to be a shoot out between Chris Coleman and Ryan Giggs. They may well be the desired targets but how realistic are they.

Ryan Giggs was interviewed for the job after Guidolin’s sacking and was believed to not have impressed all that much, with the vacancy once again opening will the Swansea hierarchy now have a change of heart and attempt to bring in the former Manchester United legend.

On the flip side of the coin you then have to ask yourself whether or not Giggs fancies the opportunity at this stage. He was perturbed at the fact he was overlooked a few months ago and may well feel that with the situation that the club is in that he is better off biding his time before stepping back into the world of coaching.

That then leaves current Wales boss Chris Coleman. After an incredible Euro 2016 Coleman’s stock had risen with his name getting linked with a whole host of vacancies. Hull were believed to be huge admirers of the former Fulham Defender before naming Mike Phelan as Caretaker Manager.

The sticking point of not being able to acquire the talents of Coleman was the fact that the FAW were not prepared to release him from his contract and you would imagine that the same scenario would manifest this time around although there be a get out that Swansea will look to utilise.

After the highs of Euro 2016, Wales bid to qualify for a first World Cup in 60 years is not proving as successful. They already find themselves 4 points off of an automatic qualifying spot and perhaps Coleman feels he has taken this group of players as far as he possibly can.

That may mean that he will fancy the chance to move back into club management but he has also gone on record by saying that he would like to coach abroad once his stint in the international scene comes to an end therefore he may very well dismiss Swansea as a viable option.

If Swansea fail to get in a Welsh coach then there are a couple of other early contenders that they could very well consider to take over from Bob Bradley. The first one of those would be Alan Pardew, after being replaced by Sam Allardyce at Crystal Palace he could very well be offered a quick return to the Premier League.

But taking a job of this kind does bring it’s own risk for a manager like Pardew. His stock is already low after that sacking from Selhurst Park and if he were to add a relegation to his C.V. also then it moves him further away from the long term desire of being England boss.

If Pardew decides that he does not want the job then a surprise candidate could be Gary Rowett. Recently sacked by Birmingham after the clubs new owners decided to replace him with Gianfranco Zola he could find himself getting an unlikely step up to the top flight.

But would the appointment of someone of Rowett appease an already irate Swansea fanbase. There is no doubting Rowett’s managerial talents but perhaps that appointment sends the kind of message that the club are preparing for life in The Championship and are ready to write off the rest of this campaign.

The one thing that the clubs owners have got right is getting rid of Bob Bradley before the start of the transfer window. In doing that it at least that gives the new manager enough time to bring in some much needed new faces in their bid for survival.

Whoever that new man is then he has to galvanise a squad which is low on confidence and a tighten up a defence which is leaking goals. It’s the kind of remit that Sam Allardyce would fit but they obviously got beaten to the punch by Crystal Palace on that front.

So with the club looking to bring a new face in the next few days they do not have a lot of time to make a decision but for their and the fans sake the need to make it a correct one or their current six season spell in the Premier League will be coming to an end in May.