Nottingham Forest, Southampton fact will sting Swansea City | OneFootball

Swansea City fans will have been disappointed to see their former managers go onto success after leaving them.

Since getting relegated from the Premier League in 2017-18, Swansea City have progressively struggled in the Championship.

In two of their first three seasons, the Swans were able to secure play-off spots, but since then they have had three consecutive finishes outside the top six.

This can't be deemed for lack of trying though, as during that spell they have had some of the most successful Championship managers.

Steve Cooper was one of them, and the now-manager of Leicester City led Swansea to two successive play-off finishes. However, despite his relative success, he came in for heavy criticism for his style of play that relied on defensive solidity rather than the free-flowing football that Swansea fans had become accustomed to in the years prior.

This criticism then intensified following a play-off final defeat to Brentford and after that the two parties agreed to mutually terminate his contract.

Following the departure of Cooper, Russell Martin joined the club, and it was believed he would be the ideal replacement to bring back a more possession-based style of play. While it did take time to implement, you could see strong signs following his second season in charge, where Swansea secured a 10th-placed finish.

Unfortunately, these indications were getting picked up by other clubs and Southampton swooped in to appoint Martin on a three-year contract.

His departure saw Swansea really struggle in the 2023-24 campaign, and fans of the club will have looked on enviously as he secured promotion with the Saints last year.

Cooper and Martin's post-Swansea success

While many will feel Cooper and Martin didn't quite do enough at Swansea, the fact that both managers have since secured promotion from the second tier will feel like a real hammer blow to the fans.

Cooper's promotion with Nottingham Forest was truly remarkable, as he steered the East Midlands club from the bottom of the Championship to the play-off final in just one season. The transformation was sealed on the 29th of May 2022, when a Levi Colwill own goal handed Forest a 1-0 victory over Huddersfield Town, securing their return to the Premier League after a 23-year absence.

In the top tier of English football, he helped them secure safety in his first season before being sacked last year following a string of bad results.

While Martin didn't have to help Saints clamber off the bottom of the table, his ability to implement his strict style of play so quickly was impressive.

For much of the 2023-24 campaign, Martin's side were chasing Leicester City, Ipswich Town, and Leeds United at the top of the table. However, by the time the play-offs arrived in May, they had found their rhythm. A commanding 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion in the second leg of the semi-final set up a Wembley showdown with Leeds. In the final, Martin outfoxed Daniel Farke with a masterful defensive performance, and a clinical finish from Adam Armstrong sealed the victory, sending Southampton back to the Premier League.

Swansea had the tools at their disposal

In football there is no such thing as assurances, but had Swansea kept a hold of either Cooper or Martin, you feel they would be much closer to the top tier of English football.

While Martin was masterminding a victory over Leeds, the Swans had just finished 14th following a season of little consistency.

Now under the guidance of former Notts County manager, Luke Williams, it feels they are once again on this path to try and break into that elusive top six.

Performances have certainly been promising, and with time, the results are likely to follow. However, one thing is clear: Swansea cannot afford to make the same mistake of parting ways with Williams too soon, as they did with Cooper and Martin, only to look back with regret at what might have been.