This season Swansea have proven their pundits wrong and taken the Premier League by storm, currently holding 10th place with a game in hand. Swansea have pulled off impressive results against the elite of the PL, beating Man City and Arsenal and managing draws against Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham. With 9 games left to play and a comfortable 11 points away from the relegation zone, they seem sure to carry on their PL status into another season.

There's no doubt Brendan has done an amazing job shaping the team, players and the philosophy of the club. Swansea play a beautiful passing game and have been tagged 'The Barcelona of Wales'. Those of us Jacks who have been there with Swansea through the best and the worst can really appreciate what Brendan has done at SA1.

At the beginning of the season we were hearing instant rumors of players going here, players going there, with some of this hearsay not finding any roots at all. Brendan came out many times saying how happy he was at the Liberty, recently proving that by recently signing a new 3 year contract.

Now, however, things seem to be changing. I can't tell you how many articles I've read over the past week stating that Brendan is considering a move. At first I thought "Nah! It's all talk", grounding my assurance in the information I'd heard from Brendan himself, stating "I'm not going anywhere!". But now it's as if he's almost changed his mind. Some recent articles post him saying "I'm not going to be here forever" and "If I leave, I want Swansea to benefit from that" (He said this in regards to a clause in his contract that stated if he left, the receiving club would pay heavy compensation to Swansea for him).

It's looks as if Brendan has changed his tune. At first it seemed like he was immovable, that nothing could shift him from Swansea, but now he's making statements like "We'll see what happens in the future". It seems as if he's preparing the Jack Army to get comfortable with the idea of him leaving, so that when he does, we won't be so shocked and unprepared.

I for one do NOT want to see Brendan leave. Any Jack can appreciate the effort he's put into the club and to see him go would be disheartening, especially since he's only been here for 2 seasons. Would he really consider leaving? I hope not.

I personally believe it's too soon for him to move anywhere. Yes, in 2 seasons he's done an incredible job, but he needs time. To jump straight to a top four club after a successful year could be damaging to his career. What if he doesn't experience the same success he's had at Swansea? What if he flops and his time with Swansea at the PL is labeled 'A lucky season'? Surely he needs to establish himself more as a manager before going into a big club and finding he's punching above his weight. 

But I guess the idea of fame, money or status (possibly all 3) will drive a man to do anything, even going against his own statements and convictions. Money can really expose the true value of a player or manager. (This is in no way a dig at Brendan. I hope that all we're hearing are just rumors.)

And you see, this is my problem with football: Money!

It's why teams tend to struggle and why there's so much pressure on the managers in the mid table teams. It's why Wigan have struggled so much and why newly promoted teams can sometimes shoot back down to the championship again. The minute a team wins promotion and it's players are in the spotlight, all the larger teams have to do is dip a little into their pockets, make a few promises and BINGO! They have a new rising star on their hands (but not in every case).

Wigan, among others, have been a sorry victim of this particular 'crime' for far too long. Martinez has a good eye for talent, but then they get snatched from his hands before he has a chance to do anything with them. Even when Swansea went up, we had clubs trying to pillage our team before we could even begin the season (with Pratley and deVries leaving for 'better clubs'…how has that turned out deVries?).

It's sad, because most of these mid table teams don't have a chance when you compare their budget to the money Man City, United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham can spend on players. What can you do when the top 6 have plundered you relentlessly and all you're left with are half decent players? There's only one way to go after that, and it's all the way down! 

Maybe this is becoming quite depressing and a little off-topic to what was originally an opinion on Rodgers potentially leaving Swansea, but this all encompasses the same subject. Money just takes away the competition. I'm sure that I'm not the only Jack who says "Dyer, Sinclair, Allen, Britton, Williams, Vorm and Routledge are all important assets to the team" but what would happen if, at the next transfer window, they're all offered generous contracts, hefty pay and a nice transfer fee? 

It drives me mad when these money clubs make ridiculous offers for the smaller clubs top talent. Sometimes it's such a huge offer that in some cases, it'd be silly to say no (Andy Carroll anybody?).

They're pretty much buying away any chance the lower clubs have of competing in the league. It's really…..annoying! 

I guess the conclusion is that if you don't have someone with billions of pounds ready to invest into your club, your fate will be the same as the others: You can only keep your stars for so long. Just hope you get enough from the transfer for a good replacement.