Williams: This season ‘unacceptable’ for Swansea

Mark Holmes
Ashley Williams: Says Swansea City's season has been unacceptable

Ashley Williams: Says Swansea City's season has been unacceptable

Ashley Williams says there is “a lot of talking to be done in the summer” to ensure there is no repeat of an “unacceptable” season for Swansea City.

Club chairman Huw Jenkins has promised an end-of-season review into a troubled campaign which has seen Swansea flirt with relegation from the Premier League and have three different managers in charge.

Swansea took a huge step towards securing their top-flight status by edging past rock-bottom Aston Villa in a tense encounter on Saturday.

But Williams admits there will be much soul-searching at the Liberty Stadium this summer to return the club to the high standards it has become known for.

“We have got it wrong for whatever reason, and it’s unacceptable for a club like Swansea to have a season like this with the players we have got,” said Williams.

“We need to do better as a club and there is a lot of talking to be done in the summer.

“There are many reasons why we haven’t done well and the squad has a lot of reflecting to do.

“There’s a lot been going on and we need to have that review – all of us individually, as a team and the chairman – to have a much better and smoother season next time.”

Williams said he would be happy to take part in the club’s post-season review if he were asked to.

In what has been a campaign of upheaval, Swansea sacked Garry Monk in December and named first-team coach Alan Curtis as interim manager before putting the Italian Francesco Guidolin in charge in January.

“It’s not really my place because I have to concentrate on getting the squad in the best place I can,” Williams said about Jenkins’ planned review.

“But I have a good relationship with the chairman and if he asks to speak to me that’s fine.

“No doubt I will be speaking to him at some point, but it’s not a situation where I would go and say ‘we need this, this and that’.”

Season ‘not enjoyable’ for Swansea

Swansea owed their hard-fought 1-0 victory over Villa to a moment of fortune when the visitors’ goalkeeper Brad Guzan failed to collect Gylfi Sigurdsson’s free-kick eight minutes after half-time.

The ball struck the shoulder of Federico Fernandez to give the Argentina central defender his first Swansea goal since joining from Napoli over 18 months ago.

“The season’s been a grind and the game summed it up really,” said Williams.

“We didn’t play well but we ground out a result. It’s not been enjoyable.

“There have been a lot of changes with the manager, it’s not been ideal.

“It’s one you want to get out of the way, be safe, see where you finish and try and put everything right for next season.

“The pressure’s off a little bit now, but I’m not sure it’s going to be enough.

“We do have games to go, so as Swansea we shouldn’t be saying ‘we’ve beaten Villa, we’ve got 36 points, we’re done’.

“The goal now has to be to look above us, and not behind, and try and claw some of those teams back.

“If we are to finish towards mid-table it won’t look as bad as it does at the minute.”