Former bosses hail Monk's appointment

Two former Swansea City managers have backed Garry Monk to make a successful step up into his new head coach role.
Everton boss Roberto Martinez and Liverpool's Brendan Rodgers have hailed the appointment of their former captain as the new man in charge at the Liberty.
Martinez played alongside Monk during his time at the club before the Spaniard took up his first managerial role at the Liberty in 2007.
It is a similar route for Monk, who was named head coach after Michael Laudrup's departure on Tuesday.
And Martinez, whose Everton side host the Swans in the FA Cup next week, believes his former club have made the right appointment.
"Garry is perfect, absolutely perfect," said Martinez, who guided the Swans to the League One title in 2008.
"If Swansea went and got someone from the outside to take over now, they would need six weeks to get to know the club.
"That's too long. Garry knows all about it already. He has been in the thick of Swansea City for so long so he knows exactly what is required.
"It reminds me a lot of my situation when I came back. I knew the players, the fans, the staff, the club and the city, and that was important.
"Garry is exactly the same. I was only 33 when I took the job and I think that at 34, Garry has had enough time to think about the game.
"It's not a matter of experience. If Swansea did not have good enough players, then you would need an experienced manager to try to squeeze the best out of what they had.
"But the squad at Swansea is good enough - I am 100 per cent sure of that."
He added: "It's funny because Garry took over as captain after me, and I know that having been captain of that club, he will be aware of the responsibilities and of what the fans want.
"Being the captain makes you well aware of what the club means to the community, and Garry has seen everything at Swansea.
"He knows what Swansea City's identity is, and that's a big strength.
"He has got Swansea City in his DNA, and he will go out of his way to get things right."



Rodgers, too, backed Monk's appointment.
The current Liverpool boss led the Swans to the Barclays Premier League in his first season in charge at the Liberty, with Monk as his captain.
And Rodgers, who entered management himself at the age of 35 with Watford, is confident Monk can lead the Swans to top-flight safety.
"If he produces the same qualities as he did for me as the captain when I was at Swansea, there's no doubt he will be successful," said Rodgers.
"If the club at this moment are looking for leadership and commitment, then in my experience at Swansea City, there's no greater man than Garry.
"I always felt that he could go on to be an excellent manager - and he is someone who knows the fabric of Swansea City and what the club is all about.
"It's a huge task for Garry to step up now, but you have to take that opportunity.
"And I don't think he can think too much about going in as a Premier League boss.
"Initially for Garry it's about psychology - it's about getting the players in a good state of mind."
He added:" "People don't understand how hard it is to cope with the demands of the Europa League - I know that from experience.
"But there's no question in my mind that Swansea will still be in the Premier League next year."