Premier League side Swansea City have sacked manager Michael Laudrup after just over a season and a half in charge of the south Wales side.
Laudrup, 49, replaced Brendan Rodgers when the Northern Irishman left to manage Liverpool in the summer of 2012, and his first season at the Liberty Stadium was a success, and brought the club their first major trophy, the League Cup, after defeating Chelsea in the semi-final and Bradford City in the final. Laudrup was linked with a number of high profile managerial positions during the summer, including at Stamford Bridge.
However since then things have not gone as well for the Dane, with the team’s form slumping dramatically after their trophy win, and this season the team have won only six of their 24 Premier League matches, losing 12.
Rumours over Laudrup’s future in Wales increased over the weekend, amid reports of a reorganisation of the club’s backroom staff, which saw Alan Monk join the coaching setup, and academy consultant Pep Clotet, who arrived at the club in November, moving into the first-team setup.
There had been criticisms of the team’s level of intensity in training, and rumours over a lack of preparation before matches, and it would appear that Huw Jenkins and the rest of the club’s board have decided to take action, telling the club’s website:
"“It is a decision we have taken reluctantly. But it’s a decision made in the best interests of Swansea City football club and our supporters.“It is the first time in nearly 10 years that the club has parted with a manager in this way, but we had to remove the constant uncertainty surrounding the club and Michael’s long-term future with us.“I had a meeting with Michael today in a final attempt to support him and establish a way to improve the work of the backroom team to secure the results we need over the final 14 Premier League games.“However, after thinking long and hard about the best way forward, I felt it was unlikely we would achieve a stable environment at the club to allow us to get back to basics and produce the performance levels that have served Swansea City so well over the last few years.“Now we need to put that uncertainty behind us and move forward as a united football club on all fronts, while placing on record our gratitude to Michael for the work he has done over the last 18 months and wish him well for the future.”"