At the end of August, just before the first international break of the season, Swansea City appeared to be flying high.
A 2-1 victory against Manchester United left them in the top four, early in the Premier League race, and the reputation of manager Garry Monk was such that his name was beginning to crop up in media reports about his being a leading contender to be the next England coach.
However, Swansea’s form has dipped since then, with just one victory in eight matches seeing the Welsh outfit slide to 14th place, only five points above the bottom three as the league enjoys more downtime due to the third international break of the season.
Far from being his country’s next coach, talk has now turned to the fact that Monk, 36, could soon be out of a job.
The rumours have subsided in recent days, and it looks as though he will remain in charge for at least a little while longer.
The fact that the reports surfaced in the first place, though, is indicative of how short-termist football in the Premier League has become.
Monk took charge at the Liberty Stadium in February 2014 after Michael Laudrup had been dismissed with Swansea looking nervously over their shoulders at the relegation zone.
It took a few weeks for results to pick up, but the club did enough to pull clear of danger and into mid-table.
Monk did an even better job in 2014/15, his first full campaign as a manager. Swansea secured their record Premier League points tally of 56 points and second-highest top-flight finish, eighth, all while retaining their identity as one of the division’s most attractive teams to watch.
Since those encouraging opening weeks of the season, however, it has been disappointing fare this time around, with Swansea’s lone league win since August coming at bottom-placed Aston Villa, and they had to come from behind to achieve that.
But, more than two-thirds of the season remains, more than enough time for Swansea to record what would be only their third top-half placing in the highest tier since 1982.
It may be too early to discuss Monk as a potential successor to Roy Hodgson as England coach, but it would also be incredibly premature of Swansea to dismiss him.
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Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
More coverage from the Future Forum
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group C
Liverpool v Napoli, midnight
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures: Monday, first 50-over match; Wednesday, second 50-over match; Thursday, third 50-over match
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Kerb weight: 1580kg
Price: From Dh750k
On sale: via special order
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
'Peninsula'
Stars: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Ra
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Rating: 2/5
Abu Dhabi World Pro 2019 remaining schedule:
Wednesday April 24: Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, 11am-6pm
Thursday April 25: Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, 11am-5pm
Friday April 26: Finals, 3-6pm
Saturday April 27: Awards ceremony, 4pm and 8pm
