Paul Clement has insisted he should be judged on a complete season in the Premier League, rather than the nine matches that have left Swansea City among the early strugglers.
The Swans manager has also said he has no interest in linking up again with Carlo Ancelotti – a reported candidate for the Everton job – and that he retains the confidence of Swansea’s American owners.
Clement takes his team to Arsenal this weekend, where a defeat could drop them into the relegation zone. The Swans currently sit 15th, but are only above the bottom three on goal difference.
The former Derby County boss has been criticised by local pundit Leighton James, but most supporters appear to have a wider perspective of where the fault lies at a club where the overall quality of recruitment for some time has not matched those who have recently left – particularly in the case of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fernando Llorente.
The former assistant to Ancelotti at Bayern Munich believes it is far too early to claim the club are in crisis.
Clement said: “When I arrived in January we played 19 games and had 12 points. We have played nine league games.
“I believe I should be judged at the end of the season, when we have played 38 league games.
“We are on a run at the moment where we haven’t picked a massive number of points. But last season I remember we had a run where we picked up only one point from six league games.
“There was lots of talking going on about how Swansea were going down, but then we won four out of the last five games of the season and got a draw in the other one at Old Trafford.
“I have been around this game long enough to know that you have got to remain level-headed whether you are going through a good spell or a bad one.
“There’s always a better moment around the corner if you are persistent, you maintain belief and you stay together.
“Me and the players are positive. We are working well because we know if we stay focused, we stay together and we are determined, the rewards will come.”
Of the other clubs also on eight points, Everton have sacked Ronald Koeman, West Ham’s owners have been less than convincing in their backing of Slaven Bilic, and Stoke City have not exactly fallen over themselves in their support of Mark Hughes.
Clement, though, says majority shareholders Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien are still firmly behind the job he is doing and have confidence his squad can deliver improved results.
He added: “There is no pressure from them. Ever since I have been here the chairman and the owners have been very supportive. They are positive and feel things can be okay.
“We are two wins away from the fans not being worried because we are in 12th, 11th or 10th position in the table,” he added.
“For me there has to be a sense of realism about what the situation is.
“It’s very tight in the bottom positions in the table. We are in a group of teams on eight points, and then there are a lot more teams going up to 12 or 13 points. That gap is absolutely nothing.
“My job is to work with the team and try to get some good performances out of them. That’s what we’re focusing on.”
Clement has been linked with rejoining Ancelotti at Everton and reprising his assistant’s role.
But as he prepares to take on Arsenal without injured trio Martin Olsson, Wilfried Bony and Renato Sanches, the manager was unequivocal.
“It would not interest me at all. I enjoy being here. This is a really good club, it is a massive challenge that I am enjoying and I have no plans to go anywhere. I have not spoken to Carlo so I have no idea about that.”
Paul Clement has insisted he should be judged on a complete season in the Premier League, rather than the nine matches that have left Swansea City among the early strugglers.
The Swans manager has also said he has no interest in linking up again with Carlo Ancelotti – a reported candidate for the Everton job – and that he retains the confidence of Swansea’s American owners.
Clement takes his team to Arsenal this weekend, where a defeat could drop them into the relegation zone. The Swans currently sit 15th, but are only above the bottom three on goal difference.
The former Derby County boss has been criticised by local pundit Leighton James, but most supporters appear to have a wider perspective of where the fault lies at a club where the overall quality of recruitment for some time has not matched those who have recently left – particularly in the case of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fernando Llorente.
The former assistant to Ancelotti at Bayern Munich believes it is far too early to claim the club are in crisis.
Clement said: “When I arrived in January we played 19 games and had 12 points. We have played nine league games.
“I believe I should be judged at the end of the season, when we have played 38 league games.
“We are on a run at the moment where we haven’t picked a massive number of points. But last season I remember we had a run where we picked up only one point from six league games.
“There was lots of talking going on about how Swansea were going down, but then we won four out of the last five games of the season and got a draw in the other one at Old Trafford.
“I have been around this game long enough to know that you have got to remain level-headed whether you are going through a good spell or a bad one.
“There’s always a better moment around the corner if you are persistent, you maintain belief and you stay together.
“Me and the players are positive. We are working well because we know if we stay focused, we stay together and we are determined, the rewards will come.”
Of the other clubs also on eight points, Everton have sacked Ronald Koeman, West Ham’s owners have been less than convincing in their backing of Slaven Bilic, and Stoke City have not exactly fallen over themselves in their support of Mark Hughes.
Clement, though, says majority shareholders Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien are still firmly behind the job he is doing and have confidence his squad can deliver improved results.
He added: “There is no pressure from them. Ever since I have been here the chairman and the owners have been very supportive. They are positive and feel things can be okay.
“We are two wins away from the fans not being worried because we are in 12th, 11th or 10th position in the table,” he added.
“For me there has to be a sense of realism about what the situation is.
“It’s very tight in the bottom positions in the table. We are in a group of teams on eight points, and then there are a lot more teams going up to 12 or 13 points. That gap is absolutely nothing.
“My job is to work with the team and try to get some good performances out of them. That’s what we’re focusing on.”
Clement has been linked with rejoining Ancelotti at Everton and reprising his assistant’s role.
But as he prepares to take on Arsenal without injured trio Martin Olsson, Wilfried Bony and Renato Sanches, the manager was unequivocal.
“It would not interest me at all. I enjoy being here. This is a really good club, it is a massive challenge that I am enjoying and I have no plans to go anywhere. I have not spoken to Carlo so I have no idea about that.”
