Bob Bradley has insisted he was not worried by talk he was heading for the sack before gaining his priceless first win as Swansea City manager.
The American – who has confirmed former boss Brian Flynn will play an active role in current recruitment, having rejoined the club as a scout – claims he was unconcerned about his own prospects before the astonishing 5-4 victory over Crystal Palace last week.
“There will always be talk, speculation, but you cannot be successful as a manager if you spend time on that or it bothers you,” said Bradley.
“No matter where you work, if things don’t go right somebody may say they have had enough. But if you let that show you aren’t much of a leader.
“You become a manager when you were fired the first time, I’ve been fired a few times so that does not bother me one bit. I understand the opportunity and I owe it to the club’s, players and supporters to give everything every day.
“I am very content. I have said many times I understood this challenge when I came here. I have been motivated by the challenge every day, I continue to know the players and the club better. I listen, I observe, I pick things up quickly and am more determined than ever to bring the type of leadership that Swansea need.”
Bradley’s first victory since succeeding Francesco Guidolin may have lifted some of the despondency at the Liberty Stadium – and closed the gap between themselves and safety to only two points – but it will not stop him from trying to bring in fresh blood in next month’s transfer window.
Flynn’s role will be to assist in the identification of current targets and not simply younger players who are seen as long-term prospects.
Asked whether the 61-year-old former Wales and Wrexham manager would play a part in the recruitment process for January, Bradley said: “Absolutely.
“I look forward to working with him, getting to know him better, but it is fantastic to have a football man like that here. He has a role to play ahead of January, with an eye for talent when we are putting lists together for certain positions.
“He can bring up different names and then when you prioritise the opinion of someone with his experience makes discussions better and gives us best chance of finding right players to improve.”
“I know he had a real important role here and the success that has taken place with his eye for talent. So when we talk about recruitment, it starts with people who can spot talent and his track record in that regard at Swansea is special.
“I look forward to working with him, getting to know him better, but it is fantastic to have a football man like that here. He has a role to play ahead of January, with an eye for talent when we are putting lists together for certain positions.
“He can bring up different names and then when you prioritise the opinion of someone with his experience makes discussions better and gives us best chance of finding right players to improve.
“We have looked at signings; we have identified players and trying to identify more. I would not want to make it seem we are at end of process, but we are in middle of a team effort to use January in a good way. The discussions over a budget have been positive, there will be more but we will wait and see.
“But we have to be smart in how we work. Could that include possibility of players going out? Of course it could. You consider the options. It is a two-way street in that regard, but we are not talking about that many moves.
“We still feel we have a strong nucleus and we want to add to that and use work done so far, together with smart additions, to go into the second half in positive fashion.”