Swansea's Andre Ayew backs boss Garry Monk

Sunday 22 November 2015 13:44, UK

Andre Ayew has labelled Garry Monk a "great manager" as the Swansea boss remains under pressure following the 2-2 home draw with Bournemouth on Saturday.

Monk has seen his side win just one of their last 10 games to slip to 14th in the Premier League table with 14 points from 13 matches.

Club chairman Huw Jenkins said in his programme notes ahead of the visit of the Cherries to the Liberty Stadium that everyone at the club should keep their own counsel to "stop adding fuel to a fire ready to ignite at any time", but Monk will need to see his side start picking up points soon if he is to silence the critics.

Ayew rescued Swansea from 2-0 down against Bournemouth with his sixth goal of the season and by winning a contentious penalty for Jonjo Shelvey to level before half-time, and he was quick to defend his boss after the game.

The forward said: "He [Monk] shows us a lot of support and confidence. We were trying to give it back to him on the pitch. He's a great manager, we know what he did last season.

"Everything's going to get back into shape and we just need some time. You need that in football when things are difficult.

"We believe we have great players, a great squad, a great manager and everything will be OK. We just need to keep working hard and don't give up."

Monk, however, is facing a tough run of fixtures before Christmas with next weekend's trip to Liverpool followed by a visit from league leaders Leicester. There is then an away date at Manchester City before West Ham travel to the Liberty Stadium.

"When you're in a club like Swansea that wants to grow and you don't get the results everybody gets the pressure," said Ghana international Ayew.

"That's normal, but we just want to stay focused on the field and not look at what's happening outside.

"We just concentrate on the pitch and listen to what the coach has to tell us about the tactics and what he wants to do. That's what's important."