Hogwired All about sports After Bob Bradley was recently appointed as the manager of Swansea City AFC. He became the first American to be in charge of a top division football club in Europe. Expressing his confidence after assuming charge Bradley said he is well capable of handling the pressure of the English Premier League (EPL). This American coach will start off with his first game in the EPL against Arsenal on October 15. This clash between Arsenal and Swansea City, AFC is expected to be a tough one for the new manager. Bradley, commenting after assuming charge, has said that a coach can be removed any time by the management if he doesn’t perform well. He said when for the first time in his career he was the USA manager it was as an interim coach. Bradley emphasising the point that performance is the key for a manager to stick to his post said that all of them are interim managers in football. If they perform they will stay if they don’t they will be out.
Bradley said that it doesn’t matter to him if he is judged for his performance after this first second or third game for he could handle that pressure. He further added that he shouldn’t let himself be “fazed” by that pressure when he is with the players. He feels that if the player’s sense that he is under pressure to perform to keep his job intact then it will negatively affect the players and will also affect the team’s prospects. He added further that he has the previous experience of being fired from his designation five times hence he knows the pressure involved with this kind of post and said that he is well capable of handling it.
Bradley’s having no prior experience of the high-pressure EPL may not be very palatable to the club’s supporters. Swansea Supporters’ Trust which has a place on the board and also has a 21 percent stake in the club was not very happy that Bradley was appointed. They were not consulted when the management decided to make him the manager of the Swansea City A.F.C.
Bradley, on the other hand, is confident that he will win over the hearts of those who were sceptical about his appointment.
Bradley emphasising the importance of fans considered them as the “lifeblood” of every team. The American coach added that he always tells his players to be receptive to the hopes and aspirations of their fans who come all the way fighting all odds to watch their game. According to Bradley the number one responsibility of a manager and the players is to ensure that they make their fans “feel proud”.
