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Who is Garry Monk? 11 things to know about the new manager of Leeds United

The former Swansea City player and manager was appointed boss of Leeds United on Thursday. We look over 11 things to know about the new man in charge.

Garry has experience winning in the 32Red kit too.
Garry has experience winning in the 32Red kit too.
Michael Regan/Getty Images

So Garry Monk is the man and dare I say it, Massimo Cellino actually did something amazing! The departure of Steve Evans felt like a kick in the guts 48 hours ago, but this has now been replaced with utter jubilation, at least amongst our staff here at Through It All Together.

My first reaction upon hearing the news, well after my psycho fist pump moment whilst surrounded by strangers on the train, was surprise that Monk actually said yes. He was formerly the head coach of Swansea City and even rumoured to be a contender to replace Roy Hodgson as manager of England.

Monk is an excellent young British coach with an appetite for success and playing attacking football. And above all else, Monk brings creditability back to Leeds Untied, something our club has been lacking for far too long. A manager of his pedigree should not be signing on to coach the 33rd best club in England last season, so this is quite a big deal

He is putting his name on the line in coming to United but seems ready for the challenge. From Leeds United's official announcement:

"I want to be challenged and really get my teeth into a big project. That was the underlying factor throughout the whole process and that’s the reason why I’m here today. This is definitely the right challenge for me and I’m really happy to be here."

And we're really happy to have you Garry!

Monk is the seventh manager at Elland Road since Cellino acquired United in April of 2014. If Monk survives a full season he will easily become Massimo’s longest serving gaffer. (Kind of depressing, isn’t it?)

Now we get to see how long he will last. Like many who came before him, he was signed to a 12-month deal.

So who is Garry Monk? Here are eleven things you need to know about the new Leeds United manager.

1. First, his appointment is going over well online, even amongst skeptics. Everyone loves Garry Monk.

2. The 37-year-old was a long-serving player at Swansea City and oversaw the club’s rise from the fourth division of English football to European football. The man has experience helping a fixer-upper; he will fit in nicely with us at Leeds United.

3. Monk took over as manager of Swansea City in February 2014 and helped keep the Swans in the Premier League. For an encore, he then masterminded a stupendous 2014/15 campaign in which he lead Swansea to eighth place and the club's record Premier League points tally including victories over Manchester United and Arsenal.

4. So that said, he was a very good Premier League coach. Despite being sacked by Swansea City in December, Monk enjoyed great successes with the Swans and won games at a record rate.

5. The only potential downside to hiring Monk is a relative lack of experience. Yes, Monk was terrific for one season at Swansea but he was manager for only 18 months. There is still some risk in this hire, but it's risk well worth taking given his pedigree. Cellino is betting on the future.

6. When Monk was sacked at Swansea, he wasn't thrilled about it, but he still expressed respect for Swansea City for his 12 years there. The fans didn't want to see him go either, as 77% voted it was the wrong decision in this poll.

7. He also gave a classy interview about his time at Swansea that you should watch.

8. There is a horribly lame tribute video floating around from Monk’s time with Swansea. This is a calling to all Leeds United fans, we can surely do better than this!

9. Garry Monk did not have a TV show in the 90's.

10. Nor did he star in Homeland. Although on second glance, I'm starting to doubt myself.

11. Seriously though, last but not least, the new head coach is on Twitter. Give the great man a follow @GarryMonk.

Anything we missed? Let us know in the comments below.

Welcome to Leeds, Garry, can't wait to see how you work things out with Cellino.