How The Fortunes Of Swansea City And Carlo Ancelotti's Career As Business Guru Are Linked

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

It's been a while since I've posted. Largely because I've had a few days of doing the jet lag without the flying that is the early shift at work and as for yesterday, well I seemed to have caught that "one day cold thing" where you feel lousy but not at death's door for a day but feel OK the next.

But let's talk about the early shift. For when I'm on it I regularly chat with a nice guy about football. He is a Swansea City supporter. So at this time it's a West Ham / Swansea City commiseration moment as we chat about our teams' bad position in the league.

Now I won't (for this post) bore you with West Ham. But the guy is at this moment is equally despondent regarding Swansea. Remember last season they only survived the drop through the skin of their teeth and he credited their manager Paul Clement for this.

During the post season they've also lost key players. Particularly Gylifi Sigurdsson to Everton. A situation which the guy acknowledged that didn't help Mr Clement. However the men he brought in to replace those that left have not apparently performed. Swansea City's performances have been unimpressive and it's this the supporter blames Clement for and it's why his managerial tenure is under threat.

Now this conversation reminded me that Paul Clement used to be the assistant manager for Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea, Real Madrid and Paris St Germain. And so it consequently reminded me of this.

Carlo Ancelotti - Quiet Leadership

The point about this book (which I chatted about in September last year) was whilst it had biographical elements basically it was those sort of business management tomes where you take the person management skills needed in one profession and try to jam it into those of commerce. Previous examples being Star Trek Captains and Oriental military leaders.

So you would assume that Paul Clement has utilised Ancelotti's style of management at Swansea City (and if not why not?)

Let me say that I genuinely wish Swansea City the best. They are, as I've explained before, the sort of team for me that you want to do well unless they're playing your team. It's as if you're very friendly with a woman but there's no affair as you're faithful to your wife.

If Paul Clement is able to get Swansea to pull through this dark patch then Ancelotti's management style is vindicated. Should Paul Clement be sacked though then really this sort of book becomes worthless. Because unlike business football is different. No matter who you manage there will always be factors in the game which go against. You might be the dominant team in a match but if your opponent scores a winning goal it means nothing.

So football is different, and it's why two careers are dependent on Swansea City's fortunes at  the moment.

Until the next time.