Garry Monk facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Garry Monk

Monk playing for Swansea City in 2010
Personal information
Date of birth	(1979-03-06) 6 March 1979 (age 46)
Place of birth	Bedford, England
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Playing position	Centre back
Club information
Current club	Cambridge United (head coach)
Youth career
0000–1995	Torquay United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1995–1996	Torquay United	5	(0)
1996–2004	Southampton	11	(0)
1998	→ Torquay United (loan)	6	(0)
1999	→ Stockport County (loan)	2	(0)
2001	→ Oxford United (loan)	5	(0)
2002–2003	→ Sheffield Wednesday (loan)	15	(0)
2003–2004	→ Barnsley (loan)	14	(0)
2004	Barnsley	3	(0)
2004–2014	Swansea City	220	(3)
Total		281	(3)
Teams managed
2014–2015	Swansea City
2016–2017	Leeds United
2017	Middlesbrough
2018–2019	Birmingham City
2019–2020	Sheffield Wednesday
2024–	Cambridge United
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Garry Alan Monk (born on March 6, 1979) is an English football manager and former player. He is currently the head coach for the League Two club Cambridge United.

Monk played as a centre back, a defensive position in football. He started his playing journey with Torquay United before joining Southampton. During his almost eight years at Southampton, he often played for other teams on loan. These teams included Torquay United, Stockport County, Oxford United, Sheffield Wednesday, and Barnsley.

In 2004, he signed with League Two club Swansea City. Over the next ten years, he played for Swansea in all four professional football divisions. He was captain for most of this time. He played 270 games for the club and was part of the team that won the League Cup in 2013.

After his playing career, Garry Monk became a manager. He first managed Swansea City. Later, he took charge of Leeds United, Middlesbrough, Birmingham City, and Sheffield Wednesday. In March 2024, he joined Cambridge United.

Playing Career Highlights

Early Football Days

Garry Monk was born in Bedford, England. He started his football training with Torquay United. He played five games for them during the 1995–96 season while still a trainee. He had grown up in Torquay. After that season, he moved to Southampton to finish his training and became a professional player in May 1997.

Monk went back to Torquay on loan in September 1998. When he returned to Southampton, he quickly joined the first team. He played his first game on November 28, 1998, against Derby County. In September 1999, he had a short loan spell at Stockport County. He was then called back to Southampton for two games in January 2000.

He also had a loan period at Oxford United in January 2001. He was called back to Southampton because many defenders were injured. In May 2001, he started in the last two home games at Southampton's stadium, The Dell. These matches were against Manchester United and Arsenal, and Southampton won both.

Monk had a longer loan with Sheffield Wednesday from December 2002 to March 2003. He hoped to join them permanently, but it didn't happen after Wednesday was moved down to a lower division. He eventually left Southampton in February 2004. He joined Barnsley for free, after being on loan there for three months. He found it hard to settle at Barnsley. However, he scored his first career goal in a 2–1 home FA Cup win against Bristol City on December 16. In June 2004, he moved to Swansea City for free.

Time at Swansea City

Monk warming up for Swansea before a League Two match at Bury during the 2004–05 season

Garry Monk played his first game for Swansea on August 7, 2004. They lost 0–2 to Northampton Town on the first day of the new League Two season. On September 4, he received a red card in a game against Yeovil Town. He was sent off again on November 20 in a 0–2 loss to Shrewsbury Town for pushing the referee. He got a third red card on February 8, 2005, for two yellow cards in a minute during a 0–1 defeat at Mansfield Town. Despite these challenges, Swansea finished the season by getting promoted to League One.

On November 22, 2005, Monk scored his first goal for Swansea. It was a header in a 4–0 win over Rushden & Diamonds in the Football League Trophy. His first league goal came on January 14, 2006, in a 1–1 draw against Bradford City. Swansea beat Brentford in the play-off semi-finals. However, they lost to Barnsley in the final on penalties. Monk played the entire 120 minutes of the final.

In August 2006, Garry Monk became the captain for the new season. But just two games into the 2006–07 season, he got a serious knee injury. This injury kept him out for the whole season. His contract was also ending, which made his future uncertain.

Monk returned as skipper at the start of the 2007–08 season. He led Swansea to get promoted to the second tier of English football. This was the first time in 24 years. Monk lifted his first trophy as Swansea captain when the team won the League One championship with a record 92 points. He scored one goal that season, a header in a 3–2 home win against Leeds United.

In the 2008–09 season, Monk got a new defensive partner, Ashley Williams. On August 9, the first day of the Championship season, Monk was sent off in a 0–2 loss to Charlton Athletic. His only goal that season was a winning header against Bristol City on April 18, 2009. Swansea finished 8th in their first season back in the Championship.

In the 2009–10 season, Swansea just missed out on a Championship play-off spot. On August 11, Monk scored Swansea's first goal in a 3–0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion in the League Cup. Two weeks later, he was one of three Swansea players sent off in a 1–2 loss to Scunthorpe United.

The 2010–11 season started well for Monk. He played every game until he got injured in an FA Cup match on January 8, 2011. However, he soon returned and captained Swansea to the Premier League. They won the Championship play-off final against Reading. Monk's efforts were rewarded with a new three-year contract, keeping him at the club until 2014.

On February 6, 2013, Monk signed a one-year contract extension, staying at Swansea until June 2015. Later that month, Monk won his first major trophy. Swansea, managed by Michael Laudrup, beat Bradford City 5–0 in the 2013 League Cup final at Wembley Stadium. Monk lifted the cup with Ashley Williams after coming on as a substitute.

After playing only 15 games in the 2012–13 season, Monk passed the Swansea captaincy to Ashley Williams. Ashley had been captain when Monk was not playing in the previous two years.

Managerial Career

Swansea City Manager

On February 4, 2014, Garry Monk was made interim player-manager of Swansea City. This happened after manager Michael Laudrup was let go. His first game in charge was a local derby against Cardiff City on February 8, which Swansea won 3–0. Swansea also reached the round of 32 in the Europa League, where they were knocked out by Napoli.

Swansea managed to avoid being moved down to a lower league. Monk became the permanent manager of Swansea City on May 7, 2014. He stopped playing football and signed a three-year contract.

In the first game of the 2014–15 season, Monk led Swansea to a 2–1 away win against Manchester United. This was Swansea's first league win ever at Old Trafford. Swansea continued their good start with two home wins against Burnley and West Bromwich Albion. This great start meant Swansea was tied for the top spot in the Premier League. Monk was also named Premier League Manager of the Month for August.

On May 11, 2015, Swansea beat Arsenal both home and away in the same season. This made Swansea only the third team in Premier League history to do this against both Arsenal and Manchester United in one season. Swansea finished the season in eighth place, earning a record number of points.

Monk signed a new three-year contract in July 2015. However, after 12 years with the club, Monk was sacked by Swansea on December 9, 2015. This happened after a tough period where the club won only one of 11 Premier League games.

Leeds United Manager

On June 2, 2016, Monk was appointed head coach of Championship club Leeds United. He signed a one-year contract.

Monk made his first signing for Leeds on June 28, 2016, bringing in Swedish striker Marcus Antonsson. On August 7, Monk's first game in charge of Leeds was a 3–0 loss to Q.P.R.. His first win came on August 10, with a penalty shootout victory against Fleetwood Town.

In November 2016, Leeds reached sixth place in the Championship and the quarter-finals of the EFL League Cup. Monk was nominated for the EFL Championship Manager of the Month award for October.

On November 29, 2016, Leeds was knocked out of the EFL Cup after losing 2–0 to Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool at Anfield. Leeds played very well against the Premier League leaders. By Christmas 2016, Monk's Leeds team was 5th in the playoff positions.

On January 29, 2017, Monk's Leeds team had a surprising FA Cup exit, losing 1–0 to Sutton United. On February 27, Monk received a ban from the touchline after a disagreement with Huddersfield Town manager David Wagner.

After beating Brighton 2–0 on March 19, 2017, Leeds was in a strong position for the playoffs. However, after a sudden drop in form in the last 8 games, Leeds missed out on the playoffs. They finished in 7th place.

On May 25, Monk resigned as Leeds United head coach. The new owner, Andrea Radrizzani, said Monk's decision to leave was a "shock."

Middlesbrough Manager

On June 9, 2017, Monk was appointed manager of Championship club Middlesbrough. The club had just been moved down from the Premier League. Monk said he wanted to get the club promoted straight back to the Premier League.

Monk's first signings for Middlesbrough were Cyrus Christie and Jonny Howson on July 7. Two days later, he brought in Martin Braithwaite. He also signed Britt Assombalonga.

His first game as manager was a 0–0 draw against Oxford United on July 12. Later that month, Monk signed Darren Randolph and Ashley Fletcher. He also brought in Lewis Baker and Connor Roberts on loan.

On December 23, 2017, it was announced that Monk had left Middlesbrough.

Birmingham City Manager

Monk became manager of Championship club Birmingham City on March 4, 2018. He signed a three-and-a-half-year deal. The team was in danger of being moved down, but he led them to five wins in their last eleven games. A win against Fulham on the last day secured a 19th-place finish. Monk said that the club needed to improve its mindset.

He did not consider several players for the 2018–19 first team. Despite facing financial rules from the EFL, Monk managed to sign a few players. After a slow start, four wins in October earned Monk a nomination for EFL Championship Manager of the Month. The team stayed in the top half of the table for a while. However, a series of losses in March and a nine-point deduction meant they were again fighting to avoid being moved down. They finished 17th.

In June 2019, Monk was sacked on June 18. The club stated they wanted a change in their football approach.

Sheffield Wednesday Manager

On September 6, 2019, Monk was appointed manager at Sheffield Wednesday. He signed a contract for an unknown length. In November 2019, when Wednesday was set to play his former club Birmingham, Monk spoke negatively about his former assistant, Pep Clotet, who was now Birmingham's manager. He also refused to shake Clotet's hand after the match. However, when they met again later in the season, Monk and Clotet shook hands.

On November 9, 2020, he was sacked from Sheffield Wednesday. The club was near the bottom of the league at that time.

Cambridge United Manager

On March 4, 2024, after more than three years away from football, Monk became the head coach of Cambridge United. He signed a contract until the end of the 2025–26 season.

Playing Career Statistics

Here are Garry Monk's playing statistics, showing how many games he played and goals he scored for different clubs.

Managerial Statistics

This table shows Garry Monk's record as a football manager for different teams.

Honours and Awards

As a Player

With Swansea City

• Football League Championship play-offs: Won in 2011
• Football League One: Champions in 2007–08
• Football League Cup: Won in 2012–13
• Football League Trophy: Won in 2005–06
• FAW Premier Cup: Won in 2004–05, 2005–06

Individual Awards

• PFA Team of the Year: Named in the 2007–08 League One team

As a Manager

Individual Awards

• Premier League Manager of the Month: Awarded for August 2014

See also

In Spanish: Garry Monk para niños