Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Reveals the club he most admires

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Former Cardiff City striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink reveals the club he most admires is Swansea City

31st March 2015

By Steve Tucker


The former Bluebird says Garry Monk's men have the perfect model for success in the Premier League


Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

He might be a former Cardiff City star, but Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has revealed the club he most admires is his former side's arch-rivals Swansea City.

The 43-year-old, who also starred at Chelsea, Leeds and Athletico Madrid, ended his distinguished playing career in the Welsh capital after making 44 appearances for Cardiff and scoring nine goals during his season at the club.

He moved into management at Belgian club Royal Antwerp and is now in charge at League Two Burton Albion where he has proved a massive success. The Brewers are currently top of the table, nine points clear in the automatic promotion places and look nailed on to go up during the former Dutch international’s first season in charge.

Hasselbaink was apparently first attracted to the ‘community-first’ attitude at Burton and he believes the other club that illustrates how that philosophy can prove a massive success is Swansea City.


And Hasselbaink said Cardiff's bitterest rivals were a club who gave him hope in the modern game.

“Swansea have the perfect model,” said Hasselbaink.

“They have an identity of the club and then they find a manager who fits. A lot of other clubs get a manager because he is doing well. He then wants to change lots of players.

“Swansea have kept their way of playing. Every manager who has come has tweaked it a bit, but not lost the identity of the club.

“We are still far, far away from Swansea, but they give smaller clubs hope because of how structured and stable they are.

"If you plan well you have an opportunity to go far, if you stick with that belief.”

good points but makes you wonder why the other 91 clubs dont follow their methods??? just wondered as it appears to be perfect!!

watched burton last night and despite conditions they still tried to play football vinny get him in!!!!

good points but makes you wonder why the other 91 clubs dont follow their methods??? just wondered as it appears to be perfect!!

watched burton last night and despite conditions they still tried to play football vinny get him in!!!!

100% with you on that Allan

good points but makes you wonder why the other 91 clubs dont follow their methods??? just wondered as it appears to be perfect!!

watched burton last night and despite conditions they still tried to play football vinny get him in!!!!

100% with you on that Allan

Will be good aqusation for us but wont happen until it looks as if we wont make playoffs next season at least! As for swansea point cant argue about their set up but why dont other clubs follow their model?

good points but makes you wonder why the other 91 clubs dont follow their methods??? just wondered as it appears to be perfect!!

watched burton last night and despite conditions they still tried to play football vinny get him in!!!!

100% with you on that Allan

Will be good aqusation for us but wont happen until it looks as if we wont make playoffs next season at least! As for swansea point cant argue about their set up but why dont other clubs follow their model?

it's not an easy model to follow, you need football people on the board and you also have to run the club with fans' best interest a priority. Both fails for our set-up

I think as well that Swansea have been very lucky. Not taking anything away from what they've achieved. Even as our rival club I can fully appreciate that what they have done is incredible. However, it has been seen time and time again that teams have tried to follow that model and they've just not had the luck with players and staff.

I would love it if the Swansea model was a proven formula because I think the initial essence is fine and respectable but I simply think it's not followed more because it's not successful in the vast majority of circumstances. Swansea will run out of luck with their appointments and signings soon enough.

I think as well that Swansea have been very lucky. Not taking anything away from what they've achieved. Even as our rival club I can fully appreciate that what they have done is incredible. However, it has been seen time and time again that teams have tried to follow that model and they've just not had the luck with players and staff.

I would love it if the Swansea model was a proven formula because I think the initial essence is fine and respectable but I simply think it's not followed more because it's not successful in the vast majority of circumstances. Swansea will run out of luck with their appointments and signings soon enough.

Because successful managerial appointments and signings are nothing more than luck? Huw Jenkins knows the game inside out, even though Monks is unlikely to leave any time soon he'll have a number of managers lined up who'll fit in to our system fine and play a similar style of possession football with a few tweaks. In terms of signings, the good signings aren't going to dry up. We've had an excellent January signing Jack Cork and Kyle Naughton who've both improved our first team and we've got plenty of money for the summer given how much we got in for Wilfried Bony.

I don't think luck has anything to do with it, I think clubs haven't copied it because it's a very complicated model. It's not easily available for a lot of teams. It involves being sustainable for one, which most clubs are some way of achieving. We also owe a lot of our success to Huw Jenkins, the top guy in his field given his record and other clubs don't have that. Most clubs wouldn't have the patience for it either, if a possession based brand of football isn't initially successful (as was that case with Rodgers at Reading) the fans want a change.

I think as well that Swansea have been very lucky. Not taking anything away from what they've achieved. Even as our rival club I can fully appreciate that what they have done is incredible. However, it has been seen time and time again that teams have tried to follow that model and they've just not had the luck with players and staff.

I would love it if the Swansea model was a proven formula because I think the initial essence is fine and respectable but I simply think it's not followed more because it's not successful in the vast majority of circumstances. Swansea will run out of luck with their appointments and signings soon enough.

Because successful managerial appointments and signings are nothing more than luck? Huw Jenkins knows the game inside out, even though Monks is unlikely to leave any time soon he'll have a number of managers lined up who'll fit in to our system fine and play a similar style of possession football with a few tweaks. In terms of signings, the good signings aren't going to dry up. We've had an excellent January signing Jack Cork and Kyle Naughton who've both improved our first team and we've got plenty of money for the summer given how much we got in for Wilfried Bony.

I don't think luck has anything to do with it, I think clubs haven't copied it because it's a very complicated model. It's not easily available for a lot of teams. It involves being sustainable for one, which most clubs are some way of achieving. We also owe a lot of our success to Huw Jenkins, the top guy in his field given his record and other clubs don't have that. Most clubs wouldn't have the patience for it either, if a possession based brand of football isn't initially successful (as was that case with Rodgers at Reading) the fans want a change.

Have to agree.
It's not luck that manager after managers who come in & keep everything running smoothly whilst each one actually improves things along the way.
What do we do? ... pick completely different managers each time with completely different ideas who have to bring in a whole new team of players. When that doesn't work (obviously) after a few months we want to sack him!
Hate Swansea for being our rivals etc. etc. but anyone who can't appreciate what they've done or think it's luck is delusional.

I think as well that Swansea have been very lucky. Not taking anything away from what they've achieved. Even as our rival club I can fully appreciate that what they have done is incredible. However, it has been seen time and time again that teams have tried to follow that model and they've just not had the luck with players and staff.

I would love it if the Swansea model was a proven formula because I think the initial essence is fine and respectable but I simply think it's not followed more because it's not successful in the vast majority of circumstances. Swansea will run out of luck with their appointments and signings soon enough.

Because successful managerial appointments and signings are nothing more than luck? Huw Jenkins knows the game inside out, even though Monks is unlikely to leave any time soon he'll have a number of managers lined up who'll fit in to our system fine and play a similar style of possession football with a few tweaks. In terms of signings, the good signings aren't going to dry up. We've had an excellent January signing Jack Cork and Kyle Naughton who've both improved our first team and we've got plenty of money for the summer given how much we got in for Wilfried Bony.

I don't think luck has anything to do with it, I think clubs haven't copied it because it's a very complicated model. It's not easily available for a lot of teams. It involves being sustainable for one, which most clubs are some way of achieving. We also owe a lot of our success to Huw Jenkins, the top guy in his field given his record and other clubs don't have that. Most clubs wouldn't have the patience for it either, if a possession based brand of football isn't initially successful (as was that case with Rodgers at Reading) the fans want a change.

Must be some clubs in England that could have tried but have not heared of any? As for luck yes has to be some element of that as every time you change manager it can effect way team plays! Laudrup didnt do so well in end jenkins stopped him buying players if you believe Laudrup? But as you say jenkins knows what he wants.

good points but makes you wonder why the other 91 clubs dont follow their methods??? just wondered as it appears to be perfect!!

watched burton last night and despite conditions they still tried to play football vinny get him in!!!!

100% with you on that Allan

Will be good aqusation for us but wont happen until it looks as if we wont make playoffs next season at least! As for swansea point cant argue about their set up but why dont other clubs follow their model?

Southampton are similar everyone expected them to fail this season after the player exodus and manager exodus and look how they are doing clubs should hire managers on the clubs philopshy and not the managers philosophy that's how you run a sustainable club

Changing things on a whim just isn't realistic for long term success

Southampton could probably lose koeeman tomorow and have a new manager that represents what they want within a week and not lose much momentum either

There youth setup is styled to the first team right from 7's to u21's so that the players play how they want them to

It's a really good setup swansea being similar but not on southamptons scale of seriousness in all areas of the club

good points but makes you wonder why the other 91 clubs dont follow their methods??? just wondered as it appears to be perfect!!

watched burton last night and despite conditions they still tried to play football vinny get him in!!!!

100% with you on that Allan

Will be good aqusation for us but wont happen until it looks as if we wont make playoffs next season at least! As for swansea point cant argue about their set up but why dont other clubs follow their model?

Southampton are similar everyone expected them to fail this season after the player exodus and manager exodus and look how they are doing clubs should hire managers on the clubs philopshy and not the managers philosophy that's how you run a sustainable club

Changing things on a whim just isn't realistic for long term success

Southampton could probably lose koeeman tomorow and have a new manager that represents what they want within a week and not lose much momentum either

There youth setup is styled to the first team right from 7's to u21's so that the players play how they want them to

It's a really good setup swansea being similar but not on southamptons scale of seriousness in all areas of the club

Southampton has it all!! Look at their record in the past 2 years and see steady progress. There is a combination of evolution (maybe similar to haxx) but also revolution. They have been totally committed to year-on-year improvement and sold some of their most successful players if the time seemed right. Don't think their bubble will burst. They may fluctuate but not be relegated IMHO.

I think as well that Swansea have been very lucky. Not taking anything away from what they've achieved. Even as our rival club I can fully appreciate that what they have done is incredible. However, it has been seen time and time again that teams have tried to follow that model and they've just not had the luck with players and staff.

I would love it if the Swansea model was a proven formula because I think the initial essence is fine and respectable but I simply think it's not followed more because it's not successful in the vast majority of circumstances. Swansea will run out of luck with their appointments and signings soon enough.

Because successful managerial appointments and signings are nothing more than luck? Huw Jenkins knows the game inside out, even though Monks is unlikely to leave any time soon he'll have a number of managers lined up who'll fit in to our system fine and play a similar style of possession football with a few tweaks. In terms of signings, the good signings aren't going to dry up. We've had an excellent January signing Jack Cork and Kyle Naughton who've both improved our first team and we've got plenty of money for the summer given how much we got in for Wilfried Bony.

I don't think luck has anything to do with it, I think clubs haven't copied it because it's a very complicated model. It's not easily available for a lot of teams. It involves being sustainable for one, which most clubs are some way of achieving. We also owe a lot of our success to Huw Jenkins, the top guy in his field given his record and other clubs don't have that. Most clubs wouldn't have the patience for it either, if a possession based brand of football isn't initially successful (as was that case with Rodgers at Reading) the fans want a change.

5p in the £ certainly helped as does a rent free stadium. Makes it very easy to be well run.

Mind you Ccfc have been ineptly run for years. Greedy chairman with limited football knowledge and huge egos have contributed to our downfall. A succession of poor managerial appointments and money wasted on average players.