Saunders The Swan?

Ah, being Welsh. A double-edged sword, don't you think?

The whole big fish in a small pond thing is a powerful dynamic, and coming from a small country will merely accentuate that. Dean Saunders could be a beneficiary of this mindset, as his celebrity status is enhanced by his nationality.

By mere fact of our shared nationality with Swansea and Cardiff, two cities which, let's be honest, are a fair distance away, we are tied to them. Indeed, we are tied to anyone born west of Bristol or Chester. This can be a magificent advantage, as ex-internationals are tempted to The Racecourse despite there being no logical reason for signing for a club of our stature under any other circumstance. We used to milk the situation even more when Welsh Cup winners were admitted to Europe .Heck, even being runners-up was usually good enough!

So basically, Dean Saunders, by dint of being Welsh, is considered for managerial posts despite not achieveing much during his tenure at The Racecourse. Paolo Sosa's departure from Swansea City apparently opens up the possibility of Saunders returning to his roots. Why would any logical club consider this? Maybe they're not, but the media are clambering on board already.

I suppose the lesson to learn from this is that if you've got a name, you've always got a chance. It's the theory which meant the dismal Bryan Robson kept getting managerial jobs despite his grimrecord. There's always a chairman who's a fan and will enjoy the ego massage of appointing his hero and then being his boss, until the inevitable messy end. Could Swansea boss Huw Jenkins be one of them?