These are your Swansea City headlines on Sunday, April 2.
Dressing room carnage
There was carnage in the away dressing room at Cardiff City on Saturday following the full-time whistle.
A video posted by Swansea City's official Twitter account showed the players and staff dancing and cheering in celebration of their late derby win, with water flying everywhere and Nathan Wood picking up a speaker.
He then takes centre stage at one point before kitman Mike Eames does a Jurgen Klinsmann-style dive on the floor. Another member of staff then does the worm dance to top if off.
Russell Martin said of the mood in the changing room post-match: "It was messy, it was wet. People dancing, and yeah, just a brilliant moment to share with a group of men that are fantastic players and human beings.
"A lot of them so young, and to have this moment so early on in your career is brilliant.
"I love them, I mean that. I love them as a group of players, I love the staff we work with, I love working at this football club.
"We'll do what we're trying to do and build and be what we want to try and be for the whole time that we're here. It's always been a long-term plan."
Piroe: Wins sums us up
Derby goal hero Joel Piroe says Swansea's late, late win over Cardiff on Saturday shows the team spirit within the camp.
Ben Cabango struck in the 99th minute at Cardiff City Stadium to record a fourth-straight win over their South Wales rivals. Piroe had given the visitors an early lead and Liam Cullen doubled the advantage before the Bluebirds hit back through Jaden Philogene and Sory Kaba.
But Cabango's scrambled finish deep into injury time sent the away end into raptures and Piroe believes the resolve shown sums up where Swansea are as a club following their sticky patch post-Christmas.
“I think this is what it means to win a derby. It’s passion, it’s fight,” he said.
“I really loved the atmosphere. Our fans were great and it was a great win.
“We go up by two, then they come back and then the late winner. I think that’s the perfect derby.
“Of course [it’s one of the best feelings I’ve had in football]. When we did it last year, it felt amazing. But this year, I think that result sums us up as well.
“We’ve been in a difficult period, so to win like this just shows how much we believe in ourselves. We want to keep winning until the end of the season, we’ll see how we end up.”
Tate sent off
Away from the derby, Swansea legend Alan Tate saw red yesterday during Nottingham Forest's draw with Wolves at the City Ground..
The Reds assistant was given his marching orders, along with the away assistant Pablo Sanz after a heated exchange between the two benches during the game.
“I can’t deny nothing happened. But I didn’t see exactly how it started because I was facing away,” manager Steve Cooper said.
“I don’t say this disrespectfully, but we know there has been a lot of ill-discipline on the Wolves touchline since the change of manager. I haven’t got a problem with it, until you come up against them.
“We were prepared for it. The last thing we wanted was for anything to boil over and there to be any problems.
“But at the same time, at our stadium, we cannot let opposing staff dominate officials and try to influence the game. We have to stand up for it. That’s all it was.
“I don’t want to see any cards for any staff - us or them. I have zero complaints with our staff. At the same time, we know it was something that could possibly happen today, so we were ready for it.
“Whether he (Tate) did or didn't deserve a red card, he’s got one so we’ll deal with it. I haven’t seen it back. What I do know is, you prepare for a game on the pitch, and sometimes you have to prepare for it off the pitch as well. Certainly in your own stadium, when you’ve got a togetherness like we have, supporters need to see not just the players giving everything, but the staff as well, because we are. That’s all that was.”
Rodgers sacked
Former Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers has been sacked by Leicester City after four years in the job.
The Foxes are in the Premier League relegation zone, losing to Crystal Palace 2-1 yesterday to leave them 18th in the standings.
Rodgers won the FA Cup for the east Midlands side in 2021 but results have been poor for some time at the King Power, with the board "compelled" to take action.
The hunt now starts for his successor.
Leicester City chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said: "The achievements of the team under Brendan’s management speak for themselves – we’ve experienced some of our finest footballing moments under his guidance and will always be grateful to him and his staff for the heights they helped us to reach on the pitch.
“Off the pitch, Brendan embraced the culture of the club and helped cultivate an outstanding developmental environment, particularly during the transition to Seagrave, and provided strong leadership during the unprecedented challenge of the coronavirus pandemic. His place in Leicester City history is assured.
“However, performances and results during the current season have been below our shared expectations. It had been our belief that continuity and stability would be key to correcting our course, particularly given our previous achievements under Brendan’s management. Regrettably, the desired improvement has not been forthcoming and, with 10 games of the season remaining, the board is compelled to take alternative action to protect our Premier League status.
“The task ahead of us in our final 10 games is clear. We now need to come together – fans, players and staff – and show the poise, quality and fight to secure our position as a Premier League club.”
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