Your Swansea City headlines for Thursday, February 24.
Key factor behind Laudrup's success revealed
Garry Monk says Michael Laudrup's secret to success was his calm nature while he was in charge at Swansea.
Laudrup led the Swans to League Cup glory and into Europe in 2013 during what was a golden age for the club in the Premier League era.
And former club captain Monk - who was pivotal in the Swans' rise up the divisions and into the top-flight - says Laudrup's ability to remain cool on the sidelines played a vital role in helping players when it came to matters on the pitch.
"Being at a club like Swansea, it was really unexpected, for us as players as well," he told the EFL Podcast.
"Everyone knows the journey, and it [cup success] was the icing on the cake.
"I think through his whole tenure, he was always the calmest person. He was so chilled and relaxed.
"The best story about that cup run, we played the first leg against Chelsea away and I remember being on the bench.
"Chelsea were absolutely at us. We managed to nick two goals against the run of play to put us 2-0 up.
"We defended for our lives for pretty much the whole game and we're all on the bench [worrying] about every scary moment.
"I remember looking at Michael Laudrup through all these moments, not once did I see him with any anxiety.
"It was as if he knew 'I've got this, don't worry about it lads, we'll be fine'. He was always that way, very relaxed. That probably, especially that year, transmitted into the team."
After leaving Swansea in 2015, Monk had spells in charge of Leeds United, Middlesbrough, Birmingham City and Sheffield Wednesday.
The 42-year-old has been out of management since leaving the Owls in 2020 but is eager to return to the dugout in the near future.
"I feel like I've done a good job in difficult circumstances with a lot of the clubs I've got into," he added.
"These last seven or eight years, it feels more like an apprenticeship of management.
"Now I've got good experience behind myself, the difficulties I've had to face, I'm ready for the next challenge.
"I've learnt a lot in a short space of time. I'm looking forward to putting that into practice in the next opportunity."
READ MORE: Ki Sung-yueng, de Guzman, Michu - Where Swansea City's 2013 League Cup heroes are now
Cabango's steep learning curve
Ben Cabango admits he's reaping the rewards of fully trusting in Russell Martin's methods after a difficult opening half of the season.
The defender endured some tough moments on the pitch against the likes of Fulham and Nottingham Forest before Christmas but has been one of his side's best performers since the turn of the year.
And the central defender says he has always been backed by Swansea's coaching staff during the tough times this term.
“It has been a big adjustment for me,” he said.
“We have always looked to play good football but this is another level, so it’s been different but I’ve really enjoyed it.
“It was a tough start to the season – I was in and out of the team but I feel like I’ve stuck with it and been working hard on the training ground.
“The coaching staff have been really good with me, making sure I understand the detail of what is required and expected and encouraging me to express myself and be confident on the ball.
“There’ve been games where I know I have made mistakes, but they back me and they back us as a team. I think that’s shown over the past few games in how I feel I’ve been playing."
Swansea go into Monday night's clash with West Brom at The Hawthorns Stadium having lost their last three away matches in a row, conceding nine goals and failing to score once in that run.
Following an up and down campaign, the Swans find themselves in 17th place - 15 points adrift of the top six but 17 clear of the Championship's relegation zone.
And Cabango is confident that, over time, the Swans' consistency will improve as they continue to develop under the current coaching staff.
“I think whenever there is change and there are new ideas it takes a while to adapt,” added Cabango.
“But it’s a process and a journey so we’ve got to stick with it, keep working hard and make sure we fix the problems we’ve had.
“All teams that are genuinely successful have to go through tough times, they have ups and downs.
“But that consistency will come with time, we just have to stick with the process."
Hal's West Brom concerns
Hal Robson-Kanu believes West Brom have a huge decision to make over their approach to the remaining games of the campaign.
The Baggies have won just one of their last 12 matches ahead of Monday night's clash with Swansea in the Midlands.
Their latest defeat saw then surrender a one goal lead before going down 2-1 against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium, meaning new boss Steve Bruce has failed to win any of his opening four games in charge of the club.
And former Wales forward Robson-Kanu - who made more than 150 appearances for the Baggies - admits he has concerns over the current direction of his former club.
"Today [against Boro] was a really big game in their season," he told Sky Sports.
"It was an opportunity to buck the trend, get some momentum back and ultimately begin winning games again. They failed to do that.
"Steve Bruce, now you can see, he's looking at what positives they can take from that, but it wasn't a great performance and it's a long, long way out to Middlesbrough for West Brom fans and the journey back is going to be a difficult one.
"I think they ultimately have a really big decision to make in terms of what they do, because they didn't create many chances, they weren't very effective up top, and actually the errors defensively were quite poor.
"So I think it's a tough task with Bruce but then again if you look at that level, what managers would you put in there? He's got the tools to do it."
Wolf's Mönchengladbach team-mate tragically killed
Hannes Wolf's Borussia Mönchengladbach team-mate Jordi Bongard tragically died in a car crash on Thursday night.
The sad news was confirmed by the Bundesliga club on Thursday.
A club statement from the German side read: "Borussia mourns the death of U23s player Jordi Bongard, who unfortunately died in a car accident last night.
"We would like to send our deepest condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time. Jordi will forever be in our thoughts and in our hearts!"
Wolf will return to parent club Mönchengladbach in the summer following his loan spell with the Swans.
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