Swansea manager Bob Bradley has told his players to face up to reality after their latest Premier League defeat against Stoke on Monday.
Former Swans favouritesWilfried Bony and Joe Allen haunted their former club with exceptional performances -Bony scored twice and Allen assisted both.Alfie Mawson scored an own goal in the 3-1 defeat.
Speaking toWales Onlineafter the game, Bradley stated he wasn't expecting an easy ride when he became Swansea's manager earlier this month.
We have a huge job (to stay in the Premier League). Let's be honest, when there's a managerial change, it's because things have not gone well," the former United Statesand Egypt boss said.
When you come in and look at the fixtures, it's not like you do it with guarantees of points.
In the Premier League, there's no free points.
To win games you need a combination of your football and your mentality, and at Stoke I don't think we were good enough in either category so we didn't take any points.�
Swansea are now without a league win since August, and Bradley has challenged his side to show their 'determination and character' in their upcoming fixtures.
No matter where you coach, if a team goes through a bad stretch, you have to challenge players the right way so that you can get some results and confidence. There's no magic to that. It's a test of everybody's determination and character. Let's face it, that's where we are. We don't hide from that.
Yes, it is definitely concerning. We understand that and when things are going a little bit in the wrong direction it takes a real strong effort from everyone to turn things around. We need some results.�