Luke Williams: A year at Swansea in numbers

Luke Williams celebrated a year in charge of Swansea City in the recent 1-1 draw to Championship promotion chasers West Bromwich Albion.

The 44-year-old began his tenure in south Wales with a 2-0 home win over Morecambe in the third round of the FA Cup.

After a rocky start to life in the Championship, the Swans delivered Williams' first league triumph at the fifth attempt, with a 1-0 victory at Hull City.

In what proved to be a challenging 2023-24 campaign, he safely guided the Swans to a 14th-place Championship finish.

Swansea currently sit 12th, six points outside the play-off places, having made clear strides of improvement since Williams took over.

But what do the numbers say?

Across all competitions, Williams has managed 50 games in charge of the Swans and won 18 of those, leaving him with a win percentage of 36% and averaging a total of 1.3 points per game.

Since taking charge, Williams' Swans have found the net 59 times, as well as keeping 12 clean sheets.

The Englishman is Swansea's fifth permanent manager since returning to the Championship in 2018.

BBC Sport Wales takes a look at how the former Notts County boss compare to his predecessors.

Michael Duff

Swansea City sacked Michael Duff after less than six months in charge.

Headhunted from Barnsley having taken the Tykes to the League One play-off final in the 2022-23 season, Duff joined on a three-year deal to replace Russell Martin at the Swansea.com Stadium.

The Northern Irishman's brief reign began with a seven-game winless streak in the league, the club's longest winless start to a campaign in 32 years - including a miserable derby defeat at Cardiff City.

Duff failed to connect with supporters on and off the pitch, choosing to change the club's possession-based identity and downplaying the small matter of the south Wales derby.

Across 21 games in all competitions, Duff oversaw six Swansea victories, leaving him with a win percentage of 28.57% and an average total of 1.1 points per game.

Duff's side found the net 31 times during his tenure, but only managed to keep five clean sheets.

Russell Martin

Russell Martin signed a three-year contract when he took over at Swansea in August 2021, but exited the club in the summer of 2023 after just two years in charge.

The Scotsman guided the Swans to 15th in the Championship in his first year and 10th in the second.

Martin's side ended his final campaign on a nine-game unbeaten run featuring seven wins - the best sequence of the Martin era - including a fourth-straight south Wales derby victory over Cardiff City.

Praised for his commitment to adhering to the club's possession-based style of play, Martin's reign is remembered fondly by Swansea supporters, but it was not without its challenges.

The 39-year-old was tasked with the club's rebuild following Swansea's Championship play-off final defeat to Brentford at Wembley and the loss of key players such as Andre Ayew and Marc Guehi.

Like Williams, Martin oversaw 50 games as manager in his first year at Swansea, with the former Norwich City defender winning 18 of those, leaving him with a win percentage of 36% and averaging a total of 1.3 points per game.

The Swans found the net 67 times in all competitions, keeping 17 clean sheets in the process, as well as topping the Championship average possession table for the 2021-22 campaign with 63.9%.

Steve Cooper

Pontypridd-born Steve Cooper was the first Welshman to manage Swansea City since Brian Flynn in 2004.

Cooper was the man Swansea turned to as they looked to maintain the momentum built by predecessor Graham Potter.

The Welshman signed a three-year deal in the summer of 2019 and immediately hit the ground the running as the Swans topped the Championship table at the end of August.

In a season which saw all elite football in Britain suspended due to the spread of coronavirus, Cooper's side stormed into the Championship play-off places by the nearest of margins as they beat Reading 4-1 to overtake Nottingham Forest on goal difference on a dramatic final night of the season.

Across all competitions, Cooper oversaw 52 games in his first year at the club, more than any other manager on this list. The 45-year-old guided the Swans to 20 victories, earning him a win percentage of 38.46% and an average total of 1.5 points per game.

Cooper's Swansea side found the net 74 times, whilst also earning 15 clean sheets across the campaign.

Graham Potter

Graham Potter joined Swansea City from Swedish side Ostersunds FK following the club's relegation from the Premier League in 2018.

The appointment of Potter brought much needed optimism to Swansea and with a squad blended with experience and youth the Swans finished the Championship campaign in 10th.

Like Russell Martin, 49-year-old Potter swapped south Wales for England's south coast joining Brighton and Hove Albion as manager in 2019.

Establishing himself as one of England's top coaches, Potter was chosen to replace Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea.

However, the Englishman was sacked by the blues after less than seven months in charge at Stamford Bridge.

After 647 days out of management, the former Brighton boss was appointed West Ham manager on Thursday, signing a two-and-a-half deal as the Hammers' new head coach.

Across 51 games in all competitions Potter oversaw 21 victories in his time at Swansea, leaving him with a win percentage of 41.18%, the highest of any manager on this list.

In a campaign which saw the Swans reach the FA Cup quarter-final, Potter's men netted 78 times in total, as well as keeping 14 clean sheets.

The Swans return to FA Cup action this Sunday afternoon when they travel to St Mary's to face Premier League Southampton (16:30 GMT).