24 hours before they went head to head with Brentford in the Championship play-off final at Wembley, a Swansea City fan site closed a poll that saw supporters vote on the future of manager Steve Cooper and assistant Mike Marsh.
Remarkably, despite guiding the Swans to successive top-six finishes, almost half of the 100 respondents voted for Cooper and Marsh to be sacked, irrespective of the outcome of Saturday’s promotion decider.
That, in itself, spoke volumes about how the former England U17 boss is viewed at the Liberty Stadium.
Cooper may be seen by some as one of the most exciting young managers in British football but those who watch Swansea play week in, week out see things differently.
The 41-year-old isn’t held in anywhere near the same regard as his predecessor Graham Potter, with a less-than-enthralling style of football and a dramatic loss of form in the final few months of 2020/21 further damaging his reputation in South Wales.
And while Swansea supporters expect Cooper to leave – with Crystal Palace seen by many as his most likely destination – it’s wrong to suggest the one-time Liverpool coach will be missed by the Landore locals.
A warning, then, to Crystal Palace.
When Potter left for Brighton in 2019, he went with the good will of everyone at Swansea, despite an underwhelming mid-table finish during his one and only Championship campaign.
Cooper, results-wise, outperformed Potter comfortably.
But, as Swansea supporters will tell you, their place in the play-off final papered over more cracks than an espresso-addled octopus running a DIY business.
Here’s what some Swansea fans on Twitter had to say about the situation:
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