ichaels long-term future with us.\' Garry Monk, the 34-year-old

LONDON -- Michael Laudrup was fired as Swansea manager on Tuesday, paying the price for a slump in the year since delivering the south Wales clubs first major trophy.Lester Hayes Jersey . The Dane is leaving the Premier League club after 20 months, having signed a new contract in March 2013 after being linked with leading clubs following his teams triumph in the League Cup. Now, though, Swansea is 12th in the standings but just two points above the relegation zone, prompting the 49-year-old Laudrups dismissal. "It is a decision we have taken reluctantly," chairman Huw Jenkins said. "But its a decision made in the best interests of Swansea City Football Club and our supporters. It is the first time in nearly 10 years that the club has parted with a manager in this way, but we had to remove the constant uncertainty surrounding the club and Michaels long-term future with us." Garry Monk, the 34-year-old defender who has been out injured since September, will replace Laudrup, alongside current first team coach Alan Curtis, "for the foreseeable future," Swansea said. Like Laudrup, two possible contenders for the job on a full-time basis are former Barcelona players who advocate the type of passing game favoured by Swansea; Oscar Garcia, who currently manages second-tier club Brighton, and Luis Enrique, who is in his first season as coach of Celta Vigo. Swanseas next game is the south Wales derby against fierce rival Cardiff at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday. "After thinking long and hard about the best way forward, I felt it was unlikely we would achieve a stable environment at the club (with Laudrup) to allow us to get back to basics and produce the performance levels that have served Swansea City so well over the last few years," Jenkins said. "Now we need to put that uncertainty behind us and move forward as a united football club on all fronts." For Laudrup, whose fortunes have rapidly plummeted since the League Cup success last February, it is the latest setback in a mixed managerial career for the former forward following a successful playing career that took in both Barcelona and Real Madrid. After winning the league and cup in Denmark with Brondby, he guided Getafe to the final of the Copa del Rey -- where they lost to Sevilla -- in his one season with the unheralded Spanish club. Next came a troubled year in Russia with Spartak Moscow before returning to Spain with Mallorca, where he soon fell out with the owners. It was at Swansea where his profile soared, building on the work of predecessor Brendan Rodgers and initially establishing the team as a fixture in the Premier Leagues top 10 with its attractive passing game. But since beating lowly Bradford in the cup final, Swansea has won just eight of out 35 Premier League games across the two seasons and there have been continuous reports about a rift with the hierarchy. Otis Sistrunk Womens Jersey . According to Forbes Magazine, the Raptors have raised their average ticket price by 242 per cent from $108 during the regular season to $370 for the first round. Kevin Burnett Womens Jersey . United, which is enduring a lacklustre season under new manager David Moyes, dropped to fourth behind European champion Bayern Munich in the Football Money League compiled by accountancy firm Deloitte.AUSTIN, Texas -- Arizona State athletic director Steve Patterson is leaving the Sun Devils for Texas, where he will take over the wealthiest athletic department in the country and a program facing serious questions about the job security of its football and mens basketball coaches as well as its president. Patterson accepted an offer from Texas on Tuesday after interviewing for the job over the weekend. West Virginias Oliver Luck had reportedly been the leading candidate, but it will instead be Patterson who succeeds DeLoss Dodds, who is stepping down at Texas after 32 years. "Steve Patterson emerged as the perfect candidate to build on Texas athletic success and DeLoss Dodds legacy," Texas President Bill Powers said. Pattersons hiring must still be approved the University of Texas System Board of Regents, which meets Nov. 12-13, but that step is considered likely. The search panel included two regents, Steve Hicks and Robert Stillwell, who are the boards athletics liaisons. Powers office said Patterson would be introduced as a news conference later this week. Pattersons most immediate questions at Texas likely centre on the future of the football coach Mack Brown, mens basketball coach Rick Barnes, and a potential federal civil rights lawsuit from former womens track coach Bev Kearney, who was forced to resign in January after revelations a previous relationship with one of her athletes. He also comes to Austin at a time when his new boss is also fighting for his job. Powers has tangled with the regents in recent years over tuition and graduation rates and other issues, and has a thin majority of support on the nine-member board. State lawmakers are investigating whether to impeach one regent over attempts to force Powers out. Dodds and Powers have been Browns staunchest allies through three consecutive sub-par seasons for the storied Texas football program. Sio Moore Raiders Jersey. Brown faced intense criticism and renewed speculation about his job security when Texas started 1-2, but the Longhorns are on a five-game winning streak and in first place in the Big 12. The mens basketball program opens its season Friday night at home against Mercer. The Longhorns had their first losing season in 15 years under Barnes last year and havent made it past the first weekend of the NCAA tournament in five years. Texas began its job search last month when Dodds announced he would leave by Aug. 31, 2014. Dodds had said he would stay in the job until his replacement was found, but would step aside into an advising role once that person got to campus. Patterson, 55, has been Arizona State athletic director only since March 2012 and had previously been responsible for the schools athletics business operations and facilities. Patterson has deep Texas ties: He got his undergraduate and law degrees at Texas, and had executive jobs with the Houston Texans in the NFL and the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA. "Steve helped build an NBA championship team and brought the Super Bowl game to Houston. Far more important, hes run a winning program at Arizona State that places students first and is committed to their lifelong success," Powers said. Arizona State President Michael M. Crow said senior Vice-President James Rund would serve as the Sun Devils interim athletic director. Crow said he understood Pattersons desire to return to Texas and wished him well. "During his stay at ASU, Steve Patterson has positioned Sun Devil athletics to continue its forward momentum well into the future," Crow said. "He first became involved with ASU three years ago to put the universitys athletic department on a sound financial footing and that is exactly what he has done." ' ' '