Planet Swans ArchivesIn just one month time the current Swansea City manager could complete that rise with a promotion to the Premier League and he continues that journey with a trip today to Millwall – managed by former Swansea boss Kenny Jackett.
Jackett lifted the Swans from League Two to One and was within a penalty shoot out himself of a step up to the Championship before losing his position the following year. Now, more than four years on he has his own ambition to take his Millwall side into the play offs just a year after gaining promotion through the same route.
And Brendan is not losing sight of the work that Kenny did at Swansea, explaining to the Western Mail “Kenny is a fantastic manager, people only really look at the last couple of managers here, but the cycle began with Kenny.
“I have respect for every manager who has managed this club, but Kenny sometimes gets lost within that.
“If you actually look at what he achieved here in relation to the last few years at the Vetch and then bringing the club forward into the Liberty Stadium and then also the vision of football.
“It was different and changed when Roberto came in and that set the club off in a different path.
“But I always think history judges you as a manager and when you look at Kenny, having been away for a few years, he has done a good job at Swansea.
“He has gone to Millwall and done an excellent job there also. There’s no doubt he’s a very good manager and he has a way of playing and setting his teams up. It’s hard to play against.”
Swansea captain Garry Monk was in agreement, saying “You have got to give him credit
“He is a good manager and I enjoyed working with him. I still talk to him even now.
“From a club that was nearly going out of business, he helped turn us around on the way to success.
“We got promoted in the first year and then came within a whisker of the Championship in the play-off final.
“You can’t be a bad manager if you do that. If we got into the Championship then who knows he could still be here now.
“He got us organised. As a player and as a manager you are never going to be everyone’s cup of tea, even Sir Alex Ferguson is like that.
“He helped to raise the mentality of the club and the expectations of the fans and over the years we have progressed.”
