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| West Ham boss Slaven Bilic insists Garry Monk's sacking from Swansea is 'sad and shocking' |
SLAVEN BILIC has described the sacking of Garry Monk as "sad and shocking" and damned favourite to replace him Marcelo Bielsa with extremely faint praise.
Caretaker Alan Curtis will be in charge for the visit of the Hammers tomorrow as Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins remains in Rosario for talks with Bielsa, confident of success despite reports also linking Roma with the former Argentina boss.
Ironically, Bielsa was also on the shortlist for the West Ham post in the summer before the club opted for Bilic and after a successful start to the season, the Croatian could not resist a little bit of a dig at Bielsa's methodology.
"Garry Monk last year, considering that he is a Swansea legend - he was player, captain, everything - last year he did a brilliant job and now to be out of it, it is sad and shocking," said Bilic.
"I don't know Bielsa personally but in Spain they call him El Loco - a big, big manager with big experience. He is demanding that his players play with a high intensity the whole game.
"Sometimes it doesn't last the whole season. It is very difficult to maintain that kind of tempo.
"For part of a season he has done it with Athletic Bilbao or last season with Marseille when they were really near the top at the beginning of the season and then they went down.
"But the way they played was really good and attractive - many shots on targets, many counter-attacks for the opponents."
At least Bilic does not believe Bielsa's lack of Premier League experience should count against him.
"The Premier League thing is more like a myth - it is just a game of football," he said. "Here it is a bit different because you have four games when the other leagues are having a break.
"But you can make a problem out of everything. You should enjoy it in the Premier League."
There is a sense of trepidation in the Swansea dressing room after the players did their homework on Bielsa. And caretaker boss Alan Curtis admits some of what they have seen has caused some consternation in the Swansea camp.
"We have all Googled him and stared at his stats. The thing that really impresses when you look at those teams he has managed is the sheer speed at which they play," said Curtis.
"How he gets a side to play like that is incredible. You have to be some kind of coach to get players to buy into that.
"The football his Bilbao side played against Manchester United was of an incredible pace and to play like that you have to train like that.
"He has a reputation as a bit of a firebrand, with a very intensive approach to training, with triple sessions and things like that.
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| Marcelo Bielsa is the favourite to replace as Monk as Swansea boss |
"It could be a bit of a culture shock and there is a bit of trepidation among the players, coupled with an admiration of his excellence as a coach."
Curtis has warned Bielsa he may not have huge amounts of money to play with in January, should he wish to overhaul his squad.
"Whoever comes in does not have much time to get their ideas in place," said Curtis. "He has the January window too, although I am not sure how much money the board have got to make available. You might bring in one or two."
Bilic's problem is more immediate - Andy Carroll's injury history. And the manager admits that by dropping him from tomorrow's game because of a groin strain he is being extra careful.
"I am tough with my medical staff," he said. "I want my players back as soon as possible but under one condition - that it is not very risky in terms of a long-term injury.
"But when you have a player with Andy's history you are thinking more about the risk - and the risk is bigger of course. I don't like to risk and am not ready to risk long-term injuries for the sake of 90 minutes."
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