Swansea fires Bob Bradley after 85 days, 11 matches in charge

Swansea City announced Tuesday the club has parted ways with manager Bob Bradley, the American being fired after an ill-fated spell at the helm that lasted a mere 85 days.

Bradley, the first American to manage in the Premier League, inherited a terrible squad when he replaced Francesco Guidolin on Oct. 3, but his short tenure can only be categorized as a disaster after the Swans conceded 29 goals in 11 matches.

The Welsh side conceded three or more tallies in eight of those contests, and came away with only eight points; the decisive blow came on Boxing Day, when fans at Liberty Stadium chanted for Bradley's dismissal as his side was dismantled 4-1 by lowly West Ham.

"We are sorry to lose Bob after such a short period of time," Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins said. "Unfortunately things haven’t worked out as planned and we felt we had to make the change with half the Premier League season remaining.

"With the club going through such a tough time, we have to try and find the answers to get ourselves out of trouble."

Stuck on 12 points, Swansea sits 19th in the league table and will turn to Alan Curtis and Paul Williams on an interim basis while the search begins for a permanent replacement.

"Personally, I have nothing but praise for Bob. He is a good man; a good person who gave everything to the job. His work-rate is phenomenal and we wish him well for the future," Jenkins added.

Bradley came under asinine criticism for his use of American phrases during pre- and post-match interviews, but while there are certainly elements of anti-American bias in the punditry and analysis of his tenure, the fact remains that Bradley's brand of open, attacking football simply didn't mesh with such a limited crop of players.

Despite the underwhelming roster, Bradley took full responsibility for the Swans' continued poor play.

After what proved to be his final match in charge, the 58-year-old said: "I don’t make excuses. After a game like today I take responsibility that it’s not good enough."

It certainly wasn't.