Roberto: "I’ll Be Tough"

Speaking at his pre-match press conference yesterday – his official unveiling, the former Swans captain said “I know what U’m getting into. My father is manager of a second division team in Spain so I know what the job means and represents.

“I’m well prepared and I will give everything I’ve got to take Swansea to the next level. I know the expectations and I’m up for the challenge. I’m looking at things long term but our aim this season is promotion.

“There are still 10 weeks of the season left and we’ve got to try and get as many points as we can. I know the squad and how much talent is in the dressing room. Maybe the fans are worried at the moment but I’d like to ask for unity and patience.

“I don’t have experience as a manager but you are stupid if you think experience guarantees success. I hope I can make up for the lack of experience with the other qualities.

“The players were my friends when I was a player and they are still my friends. But as a manager I will have to make tough decisions – that is part of the job. I know the players well I know how professional they are and that they will accept my decisions.

“I met the players at the hotel before the Yeovil game and I felt they were excited about things. We had a successful time together and there is a lot of respect between us. I don’t have to be a bad guy but at the end of the day if anyone crosses the line then we will have to take action. I’m not going to change as a person. I’m going to be the same man but I know there will be times where I’m going to have to be ruthless. The decisions I make will be for the good of Swansea City.”

Roberto’s words were echoed by his chairman who added “Roberto is a very determined man and he will do whatever he has to do in order to be successful. He’s a nice person but can also look after himself and knows what he wants.

“We don’t feel that a lot needs changing in order to keep moving forward. It’s not as if we’re bottom of the league and needing to rebuild. It only needs a few small changes. We’ve got a good squad of players at the club and it’s a case of getting the morale and team spirit back and getting them focused. We think Roberto is the man to do that.

“We went with our gut feeling and that was to go with Roberto. He wants to play the type of football we’d like to watch. We had a lot of applications for the job and some of the applicants had good records which shows the club is moving in the right direction.”