WORK YOUR MAGIC POTTER
Flop Bradley’s advice to new boss of the Swans
GRAHAM POTTER has been told to rediscover Swansea’s football identity – or go the same way as Liberty Stadium flop Bob Bradley.
Ostersunds boss Potter is set to become the Welsh side’s seventh manager in just over four years after the 43-year-old held talks over succeeding Carlos Carvalhal.
Swansea, including goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski (right, on day they were relegated) dropped into the Championship after seven years as a Premier League club.
Bradley’s ill-fated 85-day spell in charge didn’t help Swansea’s plight and the American insists bosses at the Liberty have big decisions to make as they plan for the future.
Bradley said: “I feel this is an opportunity for Swansea to re-establish their football way. I was there for 11 games and I tried like hell to get that team to play football every match. I didn’t take enough points. I understand that and you move on. Wherever I’ve gone, I’ve tried to challenge players that to get anywhere you’ve got to play good football.
“I still remember the Tottenham game where I took a lot of criticism, some from in-house. We were down 2-0 at half-time and then you have an important decision – is it damage control or a real attempt to get back into the game?
“I chose to try to get back into it and we lost 5-0. When I was challenged by people on the inside, I said, ‘If you’re not willing to go for games and push yourselves, then you have no chance to become a good team’.
“People can say that’s naive, but I don’t really care because that’s football and the best teams are not afraid to play and create chances. Whoever Swansea choose there has to be an understanding of what kind of team the supporters have to stand behind, the football they want to see every week, and I wish them all the best.” Bradley won just two of his 11 games as Swansea boss before being sacked in December 2016. He is now in charge of MLS side LAFC in their first season in the competition. It’s going well for the 60-year-old in California with his team – part-owned by Cardiff City supremo Vincent Tan and with actor Will Ferrell among their investors – second in the Western Conference. “From the day I left, I followed every Swansea match and I still want them to do well,” said Bradley. “Hopefully, they’ll find a way back into the Premier League.”