Planet Swans ArchivesRodgers could be only the second Swansea City manager to lift the club into the top flight if they win on Monday but he has dismissed talk or comparisons with Toshack, the man he sees as the greatest ever manager of the club.
Speaking to Wales on Sunday, Rodgers said “John Toshack was obviously the last manager to take this club up to the top flight
“And what he did is obviously still talked about by people.
“But I will never feel the burden of that because, for me, he will always be the greatest manager in the history of this club.
“Whatever I do I won’t eclipse what he did in going from the bottom division to the top in consecutive seasons – and then staying there.
“People say getting to the Premier League will be the greatest achievement at the club. But what he did will never be beaten.
“Instead, what we do have is the chance for a great future and it is not about me.
“Whatever we achieve will be for the people of Swansea and I’ll be honoured to help them.
“I would love nothing more than to give the people of Swansea something special to celebrate,” he said.
“Because if you look back, having nearly gone out of the League the journey is incredible.
“To be one game away from the Premier League is amazing really.
“You talk about the magic carpet ride from that bottom level to where they are now.
“The outcome would be never more deserving to a club that’s picked itself up off its knees and put itself on the map again. Hopefully we can put it world wide on the map because there can be a great future for us both.
“As a manager I’ve been given another chance.
“I want to be in the game a long time and I want to be a success for myself and for the club.
“And I know we can provide a great platform to really kick on with some financial clout to improve certain things.
“We must be the only club at this level where the players shower with the supporters after training because we use a public gym.
“That has its benefits because it creates a great community feel to things here.
“But after we nearly lost it all eight years ago, the club has struggled to catch up with itself because of the meteoric rise.
“Because I can see what’s ahead, I can see what we can improve in the next couple of years.
“I don’t think there would be a problem if we got promoted.
“If that happened then we’d be no different to any side that have gone up, like Blackpool or Burnley in the last couple of seasons.
“Outside of that, in relation to the football department, we still have a lot of work to do, things like the scouting network and other things I’d like to put in place.
“If we didn’t go up I’ve seen what can happen from my time at Reading. I was there when they went so close in 1995 with a great team – they lost in the play-offs and six players left.
“But that is something we’ve already spoken about as a club and we know we have to use it as a springboard whatever happens, rather than something that can set us back.”
