CHAMPIONSHIP side Swansea City have appointed Irishman Alan Sheehan as the club's new head coach after he impressed during a spell as caretaker.
The Athlone native took charge in February following the departure of Luke Williams and an encouraging start saw the club extend Sheehan's contract until the end of the season.
He has now landed the job permanently and after being handed a three-year contract, vowed to 'leave no stone unturned' in his bid to bring success to the club.
"I have said before, it's not just about surviving, or being the manager for the sake of it," he told the club's website.
Sheehan had a previous spell as caretaker manager last season, winning three of his seven games in charge (Image: Athena Pictures / Getty Images)"I would love to bring this football club to a better place."
Sheehan, 38, took charge of the Swans on a temporary basis on February 17 with the club in 17th place in the Championship.
They had collected 37 points from 33 games, winning 10 of them, but were on a run of one win in nine.
In the 12 league games since, Sheehan has racked up seven wins — including five in a row — and accumulated 23 points.
The Swans have also kept seven clean sheets in that time, conceding just seven goals and while a playoff spot is beyond them, they will finish the season in the top half of table.
'We want to be a competitive team'
Sheehan, who played as a left-back for clubs including Leicester, Leeds, Notts County and Luton, now hopes the club can build on their late-season form.
"I keep saying we want to build momentum and confidence within the group to go and do something," he said.
"This is a very unforgiving league, so to have that run and be in a place where we can finish in the top half is very encouraging.
"We want to be a competitive team, we have to build on what we have and make it better.
"We have been incredibly aggressive without the ball, and with it.
"We want to control games, but we want to control the game when we have the ball and when we don't have the ball.
Sheehan in action for Leicester City in 2007 during his playing days (Image: Matthew Lewis / Getty Images)"We don't want a false mindset where you think you are in control just because you have the ball.
"You can have the ball, but the other team can be in control because they are waiting to hurt us when we turn it over.
"So, I think the non-negotiables will be that we are ultra-aggressive, we will want to have those core principles and fundamentals, while recognising we will need to evolve to be a team that can be effective and dominate opponents in and out of possession."
Sheehan previously had a spell as caretaker manager last season following the sacking of Michael Duff and prior to Williams' arrival.
During that time, the former Ireland U21 international won three of his seven games in charge, picking up 11 points out of a possible 21.
His first game as permanent manager will be in Swansea's final game of the season at home to Oxford on Saturday.
See More: Alan Sheehan, EFL Championship, Swansea City
