Ryan Manning, very much as expected has made the decision to move on at the end of this season after a successful time at Swansea City for him personally. Never once refusing to play or placing the team in jeopardy the Irish international can look back favourably on his time in west Wales.

It may not have been a time laden with trophies or on the pitch team success, but Ryan Manning, by his own admission has most certainly improved as a player and as a person during his time at Swansea City. Never a problem player his enthusiasm to put on a Swansea shirt and give his best has never been in doubt.

That leaves Russell Martin to state his recruitment team are highlighting players to replace him this summer. Speaking on Manning’s departure he said. “He’s given us everything he’s got, which is all we can ask for. He’s got the right to go and see what’s out there for him in the summer. We’re exploring other options for that for next season already. It’s what we have to do, we have to be ready. It’ll be a real shame. The reality is now, you get past January and people think he may leave in January and you readdress the situation, but I don’t think anything’s changed from his end or his agent’s end. We have to avoid that in the future. It is what it is really.”

Martin seems almost certain the end game has been reached with Manning who is searching for a far bigger salary than Swansea City will go to. That’s understandable with the clubs finances being as they are, but it’s more than possible this could have been sorted out last summer. As for Russell Martin his recent comments sound like a man who is more than certain he will be at Swansea come the end of this season. After the Blackburn defeat on Saturday he said. "The young guys will be much better for that experience this time in a year's time, six months' time, three months' time, in the next game, we have to try to piece it together again and put the first half and second half together. But the team is much better, in our performance, the chances it gives up, although we concede too many goals, the chances we have, the amount of goals we score, the amount of control we have, on the majority, albeit today was a bit different second half”

We have had numerous conversations with sources over the past thirty six hours and it’s the belief from not only within the club but from outside that Russell Martin is in no immediate danger of being dismissed. That may well change if a major downturn in performance and more losses are collected. We are taking Russell Martin on his word that the block of eight games ( now two in ) will be the gauge to judge the team. That’s the eight games before the international break. So far an edgy 2-1 win over Blackpool and the loss on Saturday have hardly inspired confidence.

The two home games coming up are crucial, we really do need to see something to show this Russell Martin vision is going to work. The real tests thereafter could prove decisive to Martin’s future. Away games at Luton and Millwall, both tough places to go with both sides eyeing the play offs and of course Middlesbrough at home are exceptionally tough matches. Come the final game of the block of eight at home to Bristol City, a fixture that can rarely be predicted there has to be some real positives otherwise by then he may well have lost whatever support he has to continue as Swansea head coach.

Regardless of his belief he will still be at the club come the end of the season we all know a drop in attendances and an unhappy support can influence decision making even if it comes at a cost.

Photographs licensed from Reuters

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