Former Championship manager who landed shock job at Bristol Airport just four months after being sacked breaks silence on new role - and insists 'you can learn a lot from anything'

Daily Mail​

20 hours ago

Former Swansea boss Luke Williams has broken his silence after landing a shock new job at Bristol Airport just four months after leaving the Championship club.
The 44-year-old also previously managed Notts County and Swindon and is currently on gardening leave after being sacked by the Welsh side.
Williams, who lasted just 13 months at Swansea, works as a customer care assistant, helping to transport disabled and limited-mobility passengers around the airport.
Still receiving his salary in full from Swansea, there is no financial need for his new job, but Williams revealed that he wants to do something meaningful with his time off.
He explained that he wanted to set an example to his children by making a positive impact in his new job, and argued that people who are capable and of a working age should take advantage of their health.
He told The Athletic: 'It feels very natural to find something to do and to go and work and make a positive impact. I've got two sons. They're five and six, and in the blink of an eye, they're going to be 15 and 16.
'The things that are happening around them, they're absorbing. It's very important for me to show them to always have a routine and an objective for the day. If you're of working age and you're capable, and you're fortunate to have your health, go and work and contribute. So that's what I'm doing.'
Williams then conceded that his job switch is certainly unorthodox, but that lots can be learnt in any profession.
'I do. Of course I do [think my career path is unusual],' he admitted. 'But you can learn a lot from anything that you do. It doesn't have to be in football. It doesn't have to be in sport.
'Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and doing something completely different, meeting new people, listening to what they say and listening to their gripes.
'I'm working with a lot of people at the moment who have line managers and it's really interesting to hear the things that they find difficult about how they're being managed.
'I'm doing an honest day's work. I'm not asking if I can just come in and sit there and observe - I'm making sure that I do every single task that all my colleagues are doing, but, at the same time, I'm getting to listen to how people prefer to be managed. What is it, in their opinion, that makes a good manager? Then I'm lucky enough to sit sometimes with people in management roles. What is it that they look for in a good employee?'
The ex-Brighton Under-21 coach played for Bristol Rovers and Norwich's youth teams but a knee injury ended his playing career and he focused on coaching from the age of 19.
Before he began management, he loaded lorries for British Home Stores on an industrial estate and drove minibuses from airports and nightclubs, even transporting construction workers to the Olympic Park in Stratford.
If the airport gig doesn't go to plan, Williams could take up a role as an electrician, having enrolled on a course after he left Swansea for the first time in 2023 as Russell Martin's assistant.
The Englishman left Swansea in February after a run of seven losses in nine league matches.
They sat in 17th in the Championship when he departed and eventually ended the season in 11th.
In 58 games with the Swans, Williams won 19, drew 11 and lost 28 - just under a 33 per cent win rate.