Ex-Swansea City coach eyed by Newport County to replace Graham Coughlan

Wimbledon v Swansea City - checkatrade.com Trophy — KINGSTON UPON THAMES, ENGLAND - AUGUST 30: Cameron Toshack coach of Swansea City during the Checkatrade.com Trophy match between AFC Wimbledon and Swansea City at The Cherry Red Records Stadium on August 30, 2016 in Kingston upon Thames, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)

Newport County are considering the appointment of former Swansea City Under-23 coach Cameron Toshack, following the departure of Graham Coughlan via mutual consent on Thursday morning, according to Dai Sport.

The report revealed that while Coughlan had the title of manager, but club chairman Huw Jenkins is now looking to appoint a head coach, and will look to take charge of key decision-making such as recruitment.

Dai Sport also claims that although Coughlan officially left the Exiles via mutual consent, it was ultimately the recently appointed chairman’s decision to relieve him of his duties.

Coughlan exit shows change of direction at Newport

After taking over as manager of the Exiles in October 2022 for the first time, the 49-year-old led the Rodney Parade team to a 15th-place result at the end of the 2022–2023 season.

During his first full season in command of the Welsh team, the former Mansfield manager would have liked to see a better league result, but his team placed merely 18th in the fourth division, 13 points above the drop zone, last season.

Nevertheless, during his tenure as the club’s manager, Coughlan managed to give Exiles supporters a sense of nostalgia, leading his team to a January victory against Welsh rivals Wrexham.

Under Coughlan’s leadership, the Rodney Parade team also made it to the fourth round of the FA Cup, capping an incredible run.

And the Exiles welcomed eventual winners Manchester United to South Wales for an FA Cup fourth round match, in which the home team shown incredible resiliency, just eight days after their league victory over Wrexham.

The Red Devils’ 2-0 lead in the 13th minute, with to strikes from teenage wonder Kobbie Mainoo and Portuguese great Bruno Fernandes, made County appear down and out.

But a deflected effort from Bryn Morris clawed the Exiles back into the game, and they went into the half-time interval 2-1 down.

Just two minutes after the break, talisman Will Evans drew his side level in unlikely circumstances, but Erik Ten Hag’s men eventually took the spoils with a 4-2 victory.

But despite Coughlan’s positive moments, his underwhelming achievements in the league have led to his sacking, and Jenkins is now looking to take more control of the club’s destiny.

Toshack appointment could go either way

The 54-year-old has held a number of high-profile positions over his career, but at Swansea, he has mostly served as an under-23 coach or assistant manager.

The Welshman most recently served as Jesse Marsch’s assistant at Leeds United in the Premier League; however, the pair was fired when the Whites were relegated toward the end of the 2022–2023 season.

In addition, Toshack has managed an international team in Macedonia from 2011 to 2012, as the country was preparing for the 2012 Euro.

In 2018, he led his young Swans team to the Premier League Cup final, where they drew 0-0 with Aston Villa’s Under-23s before losing in a penalty shootout. He was Swansea’s Under-23 manager from 2014 to 2019.

After leaving South Wales, Toshack joined Cypriot outfit Pafos FC in 2019 and managed the first team there, helping the team escape relegation until departing in October 2020.

Despite his success as a junior coach and assistant, he has little experience as a senior manager, therefore the Exiles may be taking a chance by appointing him.