Swansea City urged to avoid appointing 36-year-old with “foreign market” idea mooted.
This post is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which features personal comments from FLW Fan Pundits on breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings, and more.
Swansea City’s management hunt has taken another turn, with the club now focussing on Hibernian manager David Grey. This is according to writer Alan Nixon, who reported on Patreon on Wednesday. It has been just over two weeks since Luke Williams was fired, and interim head coach Alan Sheehan has had a great start, with four points from his first two games against Blackburn Rovers and Preston North End. However, it remains to be seen whether they will consider hiring Sheehan till the conclusion of the season, and Grey is clearly a viable contender.
The 36-year-old has led Hibs to third place in the Scottish Premiership, and the team is now undefeated after 13 games. This amazing record includes a draw with Rangers and a win over league leaders Celtic.
| Hibernian’s 24/25 record under David Gray in all comps (as of 5 March) – per Transfermarkt | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Wins | Draws | Defeats | Goals scored | Goals conceded | Points per game |
| 36 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 63 | 45 | 1.61 |
Swansea pundit unsure on David Gray
Nixon believes that a move to the EFL would be an intriguing proposition for the Hibernian manager. However, do Swansea fans share the same sentiment? Football League World spoke with their resident Jack, Will Hughes, to find out. “I don’t know too much about David Grey, apart from the fact he is the Hibs manager,” according to Hughes. “The search for a manager has been quiet for us. The board and those in control appear to be willing to take as much time as necessary to identify the correct person, which I have no objections to. I have no problem with Alan Sheehan having the job until the end of the season if it means we get a good replacement. I would rather that than a cheap option or someone who is out of work just to appease the fans by having a manager.
“In terms of Grey, I’ve only looked at statistics for his Hibs team and how he sets up. I couldn’t say whether he’d be a good fit since I haven’t seen much of Hibs, and I’d rather see a team and see how they play than rely on statistics. “He prefers to play in a back three with wingbacks and two forwards. We’ve played a back three before under Steve Cooper, and it worked well under Russell Martin at times. However, when I look at Michael Duff and Luke Williams, their back threes did not perform effectively.
“If he was to come in, you would think they would bring in players to suit his style. But whoever comes in has to do that – a squad overhaul is required. Regardless of who comes in, there are a lot of players who aren’t good enough.
“If we want to get away from trouble next year, we need to spend a lot of money.”
Swansea pundit outlines his ideal head coach
Following his comments on Grey, Hughes explained what he is looking for in a potential new head coach. Speaking on the subject, he stated: “We want to maintain the baseline, which is attacking possession football, since it is what has made us so successful over the last two decades. “Unfortunately, in recent years, it has shifted away from that since the club’s management has hired managers who are only focused on possession. But that’s never been the Swansea way.
Swansea City’s golden era included Brendan Rodgers, Michael Laudrup, and Roberto Martínez. We held possession of the ball and surged forward whenever possible, using speedy wingers, clinical attackers, technical midfielders, and strong defenders. “That’s a lot to ask, but if we can find a manager who will hold the ball while making us more entertaining and dynamic – progressive passing football, possession with a purpose. “I’ve previously specified which managers I’d want. Whether we obtain them is another thing, but I believe we should search in overseas markets rather than on UK soil. We haven’t had much success in our last two lower league appointments, with Michael Duff and Luke Williams.
“A change of approach is required, and hopefully, this can be the start of the old Swansea coming back.”
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