Ash – Monk Has Taken Us To Another Level

It is quite a partnership that the two of them forged when they were players together as they linked up to take the Swans out of both League One and the Championship and it was together that they lifted the Capital One Cup as Swansea’s only major trophy in 2013.

Ash was the natural choice to replace Monk as captain when Garry realised that his playing days were coming to an end and he has retained the armband over a period of time where he has been pretty much ever present during our time in the Premier League.

And the captain believes that the appointment of the manager is another in a long run of appointments that have been inspired by the Swans.

“First and foremost the club have done well to appoint the right managers; ones who didn’t want to differ too much from what we’ve been doing,” Williams asserts. “The main thing is that they don’t try to change too much, which they’ve all managed while adding their own little bit each time.

“I think most of them were similar, though they all have their differences obviously. Roberto was quite attacking, Paulo was more defensive. Brendan came in and tried to find a blend of the two, which I think he achieved. Then Laudrup came in and things were a bit more free-flowing; he left us to decide how we were going to play.

“The [current] gaffer has actually added quite a lot and taken us to another level we haven’t seen before. He tried to tighten things up and find a balance. Now defensively we look sound and we’re scoring goals too. Generally, I just think Swansea is a good place to play your football; a good city to live in to concentrate on your game. I know most players who come here are happy.”