Michael Duff | Talk is cheap, hard work pays you back

New head coach Michael Duff has pledged to give his new role at Swansea City everything he has got in order to deliver success for the club.

The 45-year-old was appointed as the new Swans boss last week, and has just spent a first week with his squad at La Finca Resort in Spain.

The former Cheltenham and Barnsley manager was formally unveiled at the Swansea.com Stadium, where he faced the media alongside chairman Andy Coleman.

Duff outlined his hope for a successful tenure in SA1, but was at pains to point out it will be the hard work put in by the collective – on and off the pitch – that will be key for the Swans moving forward.

“I would want everyone here and every player here to want to be successful,” he said.

“But I am a firm believer that talk is cheap, I don’t need to shout it from the rooftops.

“I believe hard work pays you back, football does not owe you anything. Whether you have had a good career or a bad career, whether you are young or old.

“The moment you think you have football worked out, you find out you don’t.

“So, you might get bored of me saying it all the time, but hard work does pay you back.

“I did not win in the first 10 games of my coaching career, but I stuck to what I felt was right and what I believe in.

“In the 250 or 260 games since I think that has worked for me, but just because it worked before does not mean it works here.

“So, whatever happens here – and of course I want it to be a success – I know I can put my head on the pillow at night and now it has not been down to a lack of hard work.

“I have a good feeling, I think this is a good fit and I hope we can make it work.

“But it is not about me. It is about Swansea City. So, it’s not about me talking about what I want to do.

“It’s about getting a team to win by playing attractive football, but I won’t do one at the expense of the other.

“We will need everyone pulling in the same direction. We need to align all different sectors of the club.

“We need each other. If the team wins, we all win. Everyone is happy. The chairman is happy, the players are happy, the staff are happy and the supporters are happy.

“If we are not winning, it is irrelevant what anyone else says. I want to win playing good football.”