Bob Bradley: Swansea City manager faces 'huge' job to avoid relegation

Swansea City manager Bob Bradley says he faces a "huge" job to save his side from relegation.

The Swans are second from bottom and five points from safety in the Premier League after losing 3-1 at Stoke on Monday, Bradley's third game in charge.

The defeat was Swansea's ninth match without a win, their worst run since promotion to the top flight in 2011.

"It's a test of everybody's character and determination every single day," said the former United States coach.

"Let's face it, that's where we are. When things are going in the wrong direction, it takes a real strong effort from everybody to turn it around.

"When a team has gone through a bad stretch, there's no magic way of getting some confidence back.

"It's a huge job we have. I knew that from the start. Let's be honest, when there's a managerial change, it's because things have not gone well."

The defeat at Stoke was Bradley's second in three matches since his appointment on 3 October, following a 3-2 loss at Arsenal and a goalless draw at home against Watford.

Wayne Routledge scored his first goal of the season to bring Swansea City level

Swansea's last Premier League win was away at Burnley on the opening day of the season, and the slump which followed led to the sacking of Bradley's predecessor Francesco Guidolin.

Performances have improved sporadically during the campaign but the Swans were outplayed by Stoke, who claimed a third successive league victory.

Former Swans striker Wilfried Bony scored his first goal for Stoke before Wayne Routledge headed the visitors level in a frenetic first half.

The volume of Stoke chances eventually told as visiting defender Alfie Mawson turned Ramadan Sobhi's shot into his own net, and Bony then nodded in a third after Joe Allen's shot was saved.

"In the Premier League, there's no free points. To win games you need a combination of your football and your mentality, and I don't think we were good enough in either category," Bradley added.

"We were a little fortunate to go in level at half-time, but then we talked about needing belief and needing to raise our level.

"We said we had to be able to match them physically better than we had in the first half, but I think that was a factor in the game.

"We also made mistakes. There are a lot of things we need to work on."