Birmingham City manager Garry Monk ready for Swansea reunion
Garry Monk is used to facing his old clubs. After all, it’s been less than a week since his Birmingham side was defeated by his former employers Middlesbrough.
Meeting Swansea on Friday night, however, will be a different kettle of fish altogether. Monk spent 10 years as a player in South Wales, while the club also handed him his first shot at management.
Joining them right at the bottom of the Football League pyramid in 2004, the culmination of Monk’s playing career would come seven years later as he captained the side to victory in the Championship play-off final.
„I was at Southampton but I was in and out of the first team and I just wanted to play football,“ remembered Monk. „I had some reservations because it was League Two at the time and I’d been out on loan in other leagues and felt I was capable of playing at a higher level. But the bottom line is I wanted to play.
„I don’t think anyone could envisage what actually happened after that. We got the feeling we were moving forward and then we got that first promotion. The rest, as they say, is history.“
More surprises were to come. When Michael Laudrup was sacked in early 2014, chairman Huw Jenkins turned to the injured former captain to try and steer the club to safety.
It could barely have been a more perfect start as they thumped rivals Cardiff 3-0 in his first game in charge, while four wins in their last seven games saw Swansea seal Premier League survival.
The campaign that followed Monk’s permanent appointment was even better as Swansea came eighth, their highest final position in the Premier League and best top-flight finish since 1982.
„I was obviously still playing and had a year left on my contract so it was a big shock,“ he said. „I was injured at the time but it was my testimonial year and that’s what I was thinking about, before maybe moving on to play a couple of years somewhere else.
„You have to give credit to Huw Jenkins. It was a brave decision and I don’t think that will happen again at Premier League level. He had big trust in me and I’ll always be grateful for that. I didn’t feel then that I was manager of the club I was just thinking about the 13 games. But then that went well, we managed to get safe and I got a taste for it.“
The strain soon told, though, and after a poor start to the 2015/16 campaign Monk was dismissed and his 12-year stay at the club came to an end.
„It will always be my most difficult job because I felt such a huge responsibility to the club,“ he said. „I felt very drained at times because I knew the fans, players and owners and I felt the weight of every decision. It was a lot of pressure but you’re in the frying pan and I loved it.“
Monk’s next job at Leeds was something of a success as he took the club to seventh in the Championship in 2016/17, although it must be added that a late-season collapse saw them miss out on what seemed a certain spot in the play-offs, before he moved on to Middlesbrough, where things struggled to gel before he was sacked last December.
Now at Birmingham where, much like at Swansea, Monk found himself trying to keep a club safe towards the back end of a campaign. That was achieved on the final day of last season but any hopes of a record-breaking follow-up were tempered over the summer by a transfer embargo. For Monk, though, it’s just another hurdle to overcome.
„I’ve gained a lot of experience in a short period of time,“ he said. „Through all of [my jobs] I’ve tried to make the best of it and it’s about keeping the players away from it and trying to help the club get back on course.
„It’s about doing our best with the restrictions we have and you have to get on with it. We have to be realistic but that doesn’t mean we can’t want it more or fight more for it.“
It’s been less than three years since Monk left Swansea but the club are onto their fifth permanent manager since his departure. Under Graham Potter the Swans have won their opening two games so far and will be a tough proposition at St Andrew’s.
Birmingham, meanwhile, have just a point and Monk knows he needs a victory, meaning there will be no sentiment in play on Friday night.
„My attachment to the club will always be there and it will always be in my heart,“ he said. „I have nothing but good feelings towards the club even though the ending wasn’t what I wanted. But over 90 minutes I don’t care who we play, I want my team to win.“
Soccer Accumulator Bonus
Our fantastic Euro Soccer accumulator offer gives you the chance to earn a bonus of up to 100% on accumulators on the top domestic leagues in Europe along with the group and knockout stages of the Champions League.
This offer applies to returns on pre-match accumulators of 3 or more selections on Full Time Result or Result/Both Teams To Score markets for the English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish Primera Liga, German Bundesliga 1 or UEFA Champions League.
The maximum bonus that you can receive is €100,000 or currency equivalent. The bonus will not apply where a stake has been fully Cashed Out. Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, the bonus will be calculated based .on the remaining active stake. If a qualifying bet is edited .using our Edit Bet feature. The bonus will be calculated based on the new stake. Where a bet has been edited to include or amend a selection for an event that is In-Play, the bonus will no longer apply. Double Chance bets or combination bets with bonuses. Such as Lucky 15’s or Lucky .31’s do not apply for this offer.
If your bet is successful, we will add the following bonuses to your returns:
Bet Type Bonus
14-folds and upwards 100% bonus
Terms and Conditions
Applies to straight pre-match accumulator bets on the Full Time Result or Result/Both Teams To Score markets for UEFA Champions League, English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish Primera Liga, German Bundesliga .1 or Australian A-League matches. Maximum bonus €100,000 or currency equivalent. Soccer Accumulator Bonus does not apply to Double Chance bets or combination. bets with bonuses such as Lucky 15’s, Lucky 31’s etc.
If any selections are postponed/void then the bonus will still apply, but the percentage bonus added will reflect the actual number of winning selections. For example, an 8-fold accumulator with 7. winners and 1 postponed match will receive a 30% .bonus to returns.
The bonus part of your returns will be added to your account within 24 hours of your final selection having played.
This bonus will not apply where a stake has been fully Cashed Out. Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, the bonus will be calculated based on the remaining active stake.
If a qualifying bet is edited using our Edit Bet feature, the bonus will be calculated based on the new stake. Where a bet has been edited to include or amend a selection for an event that is In-Play, the bonus will no longer apply.
Where any term of the offer or promotion is breached or there is any evidence of a series of bets placed by a customer or group of customers, which due to a deposit bonus, enhanced payments, free bets, risk free bets or any other promotional offer results in guaranteed customer profits irrespective of the outcome, whether individually or as part of a group, bet365 reserves the right to reclaim the bonus element of such offers and in their absolute discretion either settle bets at the correct odds, void the free and risk free. bets or void any bet funded by the deposit bonus.
In addition bet365 .reserve the right to levy an administration charge on the customer up to the value of the deposit bonus, free bet, risk free bet or additional payment to cover administrative costs. We further reserve the right to ask any customer to provide sufficient documentation for us to be satisfied in our absolute discretion as to the customer’s identity prior to us crediting any bonus, free bet, risk free bet or offer to their account.
All bet365 offers are intended for recreational players and bet365 may in its sole discretion limit the eligibility of customers to participate in all or part of any promotion.
bet365 reserves the right to amend, cancel, reclaim or refuse any promotion at its own discretion.
