MONK'S RISE FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

In the past year, Swansea City manager Garry Monk has emerged as one of the brightest, young managerial prospects in English football.

After guiding the Swans to Premiership safety last season, after initially replacing former Danish international Michael Laudrup on an interim basis before he was handed his managerial reigns permanently by Swansea Chairman Huw Jenkins.

Since then the Swans have continued to maintain their Premiership status and Monk won the Premier League Manager of the Month for August 2014 after the Swans made a strong start to the current campaign.

This is the latest instalment of a career that has seen him win three promotions; won their first major trophy and played in Europe. started in 1995 when he joined Torquay United as a young YTS hopeful.

Whilst he was a young player at Plainmoor, Monk was part of the same Gulls youth side as Tony Bedeau, Wayne Thomas and Matthew Gregg and his duties also involved cleaning the boots of the then Torquay skipper Alex Watson.

He made his debut as a 16-year old in an away game against Chester City on November 4^th 1995, and went on to make a further four appearances in a Torquay shirt before he was snapped up by Southampton at the end of the campaign.

 

After moving to the Dell, he completed his apprenticeship with the Saints, shortly before signing his first professional contract with them. He made a brief return to Plainmoor for a six-match loan stint during the 1998-99 season before making his debut for the Saints against Derby County on November 28^th 1998.

As well as his loan spell with the Gulls, Monk was also loaned out to Stockport County, Oxford United and Sheffield Wednesday.

He would make a further ten appearances for Southampton – including their final two homes matches at the Dell in the 2000-01 campaign against Manchester United and Arsenal respectively -  before leaving towards 2003-04 campaign to join Barnsley.

However, Monk failed to settle at Oakwell and joined Swansea during the summer of 2004, which marked the beginning of his long association with the south Wales club. His move to the Swans coincided with their ascent up the leagues as they won promotion from League Two in his first season, which was the Swans’ final season at the Vetch Field before their move to the Liberty Stadium.

In the following campaign Swansea lifted the Johnstone’s Paints Trophy by beating Carlisle United 2-1 in the final at the Millennium Stadium; however, they missed out on a second consecutive promotion as they were beaten by Barnsley in the League One Play-off final later that year.

Garry was appointed as club captain by the then Swans’ manager Roberto Martinez on the eve of the 2006-07 season.

A year later, he led the Swans to League One title as they marked their return to the second tier of English football for the first time in 24 years. He then played a key role to helping them to an eighth place finish in the Championship last season.

After establishing themselves in the second tier under Martinez and his successors, Paulo Sousa and Brendan Rodgers, Swansea won promotion to the Premiership when they beat Reading in the 2011 Championship Play-off final, with Monk once again captaining them to success.

He is part of a select band of players to have played for the Swans during the rise through the years, which also includes Leon Britton and Alan Tate.

Following Rodgers’s move to Liverpool, the Swans lifted the Capital One Cup in 2013 when they defeated Bradford City 5-0 at Wembley, and Monk lifted the trophy alongside Ashley Williams.

And a year later when Laudrup left the Liberty Stadium, it was to Monk that Swansea Chairman Huw Jenkins turned help steer them clear of the relegation zone and then onto the current level of stability that they currently enjoy.

WHY MATT GRIMES CAN BE A SUCCESS AT SWANSEA

The opening day of the January 2015, or Friday January 2nd to be precise, saw Exeter City experience a 'black Friday'.

It was 'black' in the sense that the ink used on the club accounts changed from red to black, as the Grecians received a £1.75 million windfall from the sale of star midfielder Matt Grimes to Premiership side Swansea City.

The fee has enabled Exeter manager Paul Tisdale to turn the loan signings of David Noble and Alex Nicholls into permanent ones, and further investment is planned for the club's youth department and training ground.

In recent years, several talented players have progressed through the Grecians' youth ranks such as Dean Moxey, George Friend and Danny Seaborne, but Grimes looks set to eclipse that trio; and the fee the Grecians received for him is three-and-a-half times what they received from Manchester City for Martin 'Buster' Phillips in 1995, which was £500,000.

Phillips had been hailed as Britain's first £10million footballer by former Grecians manager Alan Ball, but found first time football hard to come by at Maine Road as Ball was sacked following City's relegation from the Premiership at the end of the 1995-96 season.

Subsequent managerial changes saw him fall out of favour and eventually re-joined Ball at Portsmouth before returning to Devon with Plymouth Argyle and, later, Torquay United where he ended his career.

However, Grimes, who was capped by England Under-20's during his time at St James Park, could turn out to be a success for the Swans, who are of course managed by former Torquay United defender Garry Monk.

First of all, Grimes is joining a side that has gained a fine reputation for a short passing style that would suit him as a footballer.

And secondly, the Swans have proved to be adept and identifying and developing talent during their top-flight tenure with players such as Scott Sinclair, Joe Allen and Gyflli Sigurdsson all being sold on for big fees. Prior to his move to the South Walian outfit, when the Swans were first rumoured to have been interested in securing his signature, it was suggested that Monk didn't want Grimes going back to the Grecians on loan.

If that isn't an endorsement that the Swans boss doesn't see Grimes, who hails from Exminster, as a future Premiership player, I don't know what would.

SECOND HALF DOUBLE GIVES RED DEVILS EDGE OVER GLOVERS

Two stunning second half strikes from Ander Herrera and Angel Di Maria proved to be enough Manchester United to see off the threat of Yeovil Town in the FA Cup third round.

Over 9,000 poured into Huish Park to watch the Glovers had match the Premiership opponents for a long period in which Yeovil had a chance to take the lead on 55 minutes. Striker Kieffer Moore connected with a cross from Sam Foley, but he could only muster a weak shot that he fired straight into the arms of United keeper David De Gea.

Herrera, who arrived at Old Trafford in the summer from Athletic Bilbao, gave the Red Devils on 64 minutes with a dipping shot from the edge of the penalty area before club record signing Di Maria, a second half substitute, ended the tie as a contest with a 90th minute strike.

This ensured that Louis Van Gaal's first ever FA Cup tie ended in victory for the visitors and there is every chance that the Cup could provide the Dutchman with his first silverware of his Old Trafford tenure; it is the only knock out competition that United are still involved in owing to the absence from European football.

UNITED VS SPURS- 50 YEARS ON

50 YEARS ago, Torquay United famously held the mighty Tottenham Hotspur to a thrilling 3-3 draw at Plainmoor. 

We will now look back at that date and an occasion that has been ingrained in Gulls’ folklore ever since. 

Throughout their history, Torquay United have never managed to defeat a top-flight side in the FA Cup. One of the few occasions they came close to doing so came in the third round in 1965 when they drew 3-3 with Tottenham Hotspur at Plainmoor. 

After knocking out Canterbury and Colchester United in the first and second rounds respectively, United were drawn at home to the North London Giants who had become the first team to the League and FA Cup ‘double’ in the 20^th century four years earlier. 

Managed by the legendary Bill Nicholson, Spurs featured a number of household names in their line-up, including Jimmy Greaves, Alan Mullery, Maurice Norman, Cliff Jones as well as future Gulls manager Cyril Knowles. 

A crowd of over 20,000 poured into Plainmoor to watch the encounter and it looked at one stage as though they might be set to witness a giant-killing act as Bill Atkinson gave United the lead from the penalty spot, after Robin Stubbs had been felled by Knowles. Scotland international Alan Gilzean then headed home a cross from skipper Ron Henry for an equaliser for Spurs before an effort from Norman and a second goal for Gilzean gave the visitors a commanding 3-1 lead. 

However, with five minutes remaining, Stubbs netted twice to bring United level in the most dramatic of circumstances, and Tommy Northcott rattled a header against the bar just before the final whistle, as the two sides met again at White Hart Lane for the replay.

Unfortunately, there was to be no fairy tale ending for United as Spurs resoundingly won 5-1 - with Jimmy Greaves scoring a hat-trick. 

The original tie ultimately proved to be the last hurrah of the long reign of United manager Eric Webber who replaced at the end of the campaign, after 14 years in charge. 

His replacement, Frank O’Farrell, led United to promotion in his first full season in charge – the 1965-66 campaign – with many of the players who had held Spurs to that famous draw being part of the side who achieved it. 

Line-ups: 

United: Terry Adlington, Alan Smith, George Allen, John Benson, Colin Bettany, Trevor Wolstenholme, Bill Atkinson, Geoff Cox, Robin Stubbs, Tommy Northcott, George Somers

Spurs: Billy Brown, Cyril Knowles, Ron Henry, Alan Mullery, Maurice Norman, Tony Marchi, Jimmy Robertson, Jimmy Greaves, Alan Gilzean, Cliff Jones, Terry Dyson

SO WHO WILL FEATURE FOR THE RED DEVILS AT HUISH PARK ?

With no European football on their agenda for this season, Manchester United will see the FA Cup as an opportunity to win some silverware when they begin their Cup campaign against Yeovil Town.

Manager Louis Van Gaal, who will be embarking on his first tie in the world’s oldest knock-out competition, will no doubt want to avoid a repeat of the Red Devils’ elimination by another League One side, MK Dons, in the Capital One Cup. Therefore, it is highly likely that he will be looking to select a reasonably strong line-up.

In goal, Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea has been in fine form this season – underlining his credentials as the heir apparent to Iker Casillas at international level - but it is possible that Van Gaal may look to rest him for their meeting with the Glovers.

One alternative to the Spaniard is Danish custodian Anders Lindegaard – who has warmed the bench on several occasions in the Premiership this season.

Young defenders Tyler Blackett and Paddy McNair may feature in the centre of defence. Both players have progressed through the club’s youth ranks into the Red Devils’ first team this season; Blackett has received international recognition with Gareth Southgate’s England Under-21’s, whilst McNair was called up into the Northern Ireland senior squad for their most recent Euro 2016 qualifier against Romania.

It is possible that Van Gaal could be looking for an experienced figure to play alongside one of them. Northern Ireland international Jonny Evans, who is now the club’s longest serving central defender – following the summer departures of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic – certainly fits that bill. The same could also be said of England duo Phil Jones and Chris Smalling.

Should Van Gaal opt to play a 4-4-2 formation – the Dutchman has spent much of the current campaign deploying the 3-5-2 system he used with Holland at the World Cup in Brazil last summer - Brazilian right-back Rafael could feature on the right hand side of the defence, or Jones may be deployed as a makeshift full-back.

Luke Shaw, who is currently recovering from an ankle injury and is set to return to action on Boxing Day, would be seen as an ideal candidate to fill the left-back role if Van Gaal decides on a four-man defence.

In midfield, Belgian international Adnan Januzaj and Ecuadorian Antonio Valencia could feature on the wings. Januzaj was handed his debut last season by David Moyes, but hasn’t featured as often in the current campaign following the arrival of club record signing Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid.

Vice-captain Michael Carrick and third-captain Darren Fletcher are leading candidates to lead the Red Devils out at Huish Park, should club captain Wayne Rooney not feature. They could be joined in the centre of midfield by Belgian international Marouane Fellaini or academy graduate and England Under-21 international Jesse Lingard. Another option for the Red Devils in midfield is Spanish international Juan Mata who received an FA Cup winners’ medal with Chelsea in 2012.

Van Gaal may see the cup tie as an ideal opportunity to rest his fellow Dutchman Robin Van Persie. If that is the case then Rooney or Colombian loan signing Radamel Falcao are the leading candidates to the lead the Red Devils’ attack.

The tie could also provide the United boss with a chance to give a run out to rookie striker James Wilson. After coming through the club’s youth ranks, Wilson has impressed since he was handed his debut during Ryan Giggs’ spell in charge as caretaker manager, following the dismissal of Moyes, and might feature at Huish Park.

Regardless of the outcome of the tie, it will surely be remembered as another of the great FA Cup matches in Yeovil Town’s history.

Probable line-up: (3-4-1-2) Lindegaard; McNair, Evans, Blackett; Januzaj, Fletcher, Lingard, Shaw; Mata; Rooney, Wilson

An abridged version of this article appeared in the Sunday Independent on December 28th 2014.

 

PIRATES TRIUMPH ON MANSELL'S RETURN

Lee Mansell’s return to the Launa Windows Stadium proved to be the mere side-show it probably deserved to be as Bristol Rovers defeated Torquay United on Boxing Day. 

The former Gulls’ skipper, who now wears the captain’s armband for the Pirates, was part of the Rovers’ supporting cast as the football on offer took centre stage. 

A Matty Taylor strike from 18-yards after eight minutes and a header from Neale Trotman on the half hour mark set them on their way and ultimately proved to be decisive.

Duane Ofori-Acheampong pulled a goal back for the Gulls three minutes later, with an effort that deflected off his heel after the Rovers keeper Fabian Speiss flapped at a Courtney Cameron cross; 

United were denied a late equaliser through substitute Elliot Benyon that was ruled out for a dubious offside.However, if the goal had stood then it would have been a point gained from a Gulls perspective, as the Pirates had dominated the proceedings in terms of chances created. 

The stand-out performers for the Gulls included skipper Luke Young, who outshone his predecessor Mansell and nearly found an equaliser on 26 minutes with a long-range effort that cleared the cross bar; right-back Durrell Berry, who produced a solid display on his recall to the side, and teenage left-back Levi Ives.

BOXING DAY RETURNS FOR MANSE AND BUCKS

Boxing Day 2014 will see Bristol Rovers midfielder Lee Mansell return to Plainmoor (the Launa Windows Stadium) and Paul Buckle face one of his former clubs Exeter City as manager of Cheltenham Town.

Mansell, 32, joined the Pirates in the summer after spending eight years with the Gulls, in which he made 389 appearances, many of them were as captain of the side.

Boxing Day's fixture will also see him face United manager - and his former team-mate - Chris Hargreaves for the first time; the pair were also colleagues at Oxford United before Mansell's move to the Gulls in 2006.

In addition to this, Mansell will also be lining up against his successor as Gulls' captain Luke Young.

Meanwhile, at St James Park, Paul Buckle will be leading his Cheltenham Town side to face Exeter City, a club which he served twice as a player and also as assistant manager to Paul Tisdale.

Buckle, who managed Torquay, Bristol Rovers and Luton Town before heading to America where he worked as Technical Director of the New Yorks Mets Academy, is seeking his first win as manager of the Robins since he was appointed as successor to the long serving Mark Yates.