Bob Bradley is the new boss. Here’s a look something you should know about the first U.S boss in the Premier League.
THE FIRST AMERICAN MANAGER IN PL
Bob Bradley will first american to manage a Premier League club. Swansea’s majority shareholders Stephen Kaplan & Jason Levien may have been the influence to bring Bradley across to these shores.
MASTER OF TURBULENCE
Bradley accepted the role of Egypt’s headcoach, at a time when the middle-east was burning with revolutions. Not only did he stick with the team, he stayed in a service apartment, even after a riot broke in the stadium.
THE PRINCE
He attended Princeton University and was top scorer for the Princeton Tigers whilst completing his degree in history. He took his first head coaching job aged just 22, at Ohio University whilst studying for an MA in Sports Administration at the same time.
THE FIRST STEP
After Ohio, he joined the University of Virginia as assistant manager. He returned to Princeton as head coach in 1984 and was at the helm for 11 years with relative success before embarking on a professional career in management.
THE MANAGER
Bradley worked for several clubs in the MLS between 1996 and 2006 before landing the United States national team job, leading them to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. They reached the CONCACAF Gold Cup final in 2011.
FREQUENT FLIER
Bradley became Egypt manager shortly after but lost his job after failing to reach the 2014 World Cup. He moved to Norway with Stabaek who he helped qualify for the Europa League before moving to France with Ligue 2 side Le Havre in November 2015.
LIKE SON, LIKE FATHER
His son Michael is currently Toronto FC and United States captain. The midfielder had a six-month loan spell at Aston Villa during the 2010-2011 season.
A SPORTING FAMILY
Bradley comes from a family known for being involved in the professional sporting environment. Brother, Scott, was a professional Major League Baseball player. Another brother, Jeff, is a sports journalist.
SOCCER COACH OF THE YEAR
Bradly was named the MLS Coach of the year in 1998 and 2006. Coach and “soccer”, terms might not interest Swansea fans much, especially due to the difference in the intensity of the Premier League and MLS.
TOPPING THE BRITS
Bradley guided a massively underdog US side to the top of the group in the 2010 World Cup, a place above England, something which should excite Swansea fans as they will be hoping Bradley can once again find a successful formula against English opposition.
