New Swansea City head coach Alan Sheehan insists the time was right for him to move out of the shadows and become the main man.
Sheehan takes charge of his first match as the club’s permanent head coach – and his first permanently in charge anywhere - on Saturday when the Swans finish their season at home to Oxford United.
His appointment came after an impressive spell as caretaker, during which he gathered an unexpected 23 points from only 12 games following the sacking of Luke Williams.
It represents something of a gamble to appoint a novice head honcho, but all great managerial careers have to start with a leap of faith and a conviction that now is indeed the time.
“I wanted to become a number one, yes,” Sheehan says in answer to the question of whether his three-year contract as the man calling the shots was something he was seeking.
“When I first came into the job, I was focusing solely on Swansea. I wasn’t focused on auditioning for this or any other football club.
“My duty of care was to the players, the fans and everybody involved. When you go down a league, then people like the kitman, the chef, those positions come under threat and I couldn’t have that on my conscience.
“So, that’s what gave me the motivation – to be successful with this football club.
“But, yes, I wanted to do this. My progression has been fast in some ways, but then I have coached in every league in the UK.
“I know this league. I know the Premier League. I know all the leagues, really. I ‘m obsessed about football.
“So, this step up felt natural. And that’s a credit to the players in terms of having that feeling. How they handle themselves every day determines what the culture is going to be like.”
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As a player, Irishman Sheehan began his career with Leicester City, before playing for Mansfield, Leeds United, Crewe, Oldham, Swindon, Notts County – where he made over 100 appearances - Bradford, Peterborough, Luton, Lincoln and Northampton.
Then, came the coaching switch with Oldham, a move to Luton, and onto Southampton before his assistant spells at Swansea, under both Michael Duff and then Williams.
Now, comes his first opportunity in the managerial hot seat, although the title is that of head coach, one which Swansea have always used since the days when Huw Jenkins was chairman and they were ascending through the leagues.
He follows a long line of successful coaches who left because they were wanted elsewhere, before that sequence was broken by back-to-back sackings of Duff and then Williams.
Sheehan describes reaching the Premier League as the ultimate "dream" but is shrewd enough to offer no rash promises or foolish timelines.
"Can I? I don't think it's a yes or no answer.
“I think we all dream of working in the Premier League. We would love to do that at Swansea.
“But in order to do so we need to get a lot of decisions right and we need to be consistent on that. Talking about it is one thing, actually doing it is better."
Swansea previously spent seven consecutive years in the Premier League after their promotion in 2011 but haven’t returned since their relegation in 2018.
Under Steve Cooper, they came close with back-to-back play-off campaigns in 2020 and 2021, but have failed to challenge meaningfully since, finishing no higher than 10th in recent years.
However, with a revised ownership structure now in place and renewed ambition behind the scenes, Sheehan believes there is a real appetite within the club to mount a serious promotion bid.
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"I think in the Championship, if you are not talking about the Premier League, I don't know why we're really here," he said.
"It's not something that's shouted out, it's understood that we all want to get there.
“You have got to make a whole lot of right decisions, then you have to have positive energy throughout, you have to win games, you have to build confidence, you have to have the fans onside, you have to have the board onside and the players onside."
Reflecting on the team’s performance under his stewardship, Sheehan said the recent results demonstrate what can be achieved with stability and the right mindset.
"We’ve experienced a minor case of that sort of consistency over the last two months," he added, pointing to the club’s strong finish.
The Swans wrap up their Championship season against Oxford United at the Swansea.com Stadium where a win could lift them into the top ten, depending on other results.
Looking ahead to the summer, Sheehan has underlined the importance of assembling a squad capable of building on the current momentum.
"We need to have the right blend of assets and experience in the building," he said.
"We want to keep certain players we believe are really good fits for the club, but we understand that a lot of teams want good players.
“We want to make a number of signings, we can all agree on that."
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