Swansea boss Bob Bradley ready for Stoke challenge

Bob Bradley has only been in English football a few weeks, but the Swansea manager is fully braced for a "cold, wet, windy night in Stoke" on Monday Night Football.

Ever since it was suggested in 2010 that Lionel Messi might not fancy a blustery night in the Potteries, the testing conditions at the bet365 Stadium have regularly been used as a yardstick to determine whether foreign arrivals can hack it in the Premier League.

But former United States boss Bradley prefers to take a reasoned approach to facing Mark Hughes' revitalised Potters, who have won their last two Premier League matches and are unbeaten in four.

"Yes, I am familiar with that expression," Bradley said when asked about contending with unpleasant weather in the Potteries. "Halloween too!

"First to the famous line, I think you still go there expecting that it might be cold, might be windy. I don't think those things have changed.

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"But at the same time, Mark Hughes' teams still have a definite way of going about it.

"So, football-wise, they have some talented players and a sense, with their system, how guys move, how they find chances.

"So for us, you have to go understanding it might be cold and windy but still be ready for the football challenges this Stoke team puts at you."

Bradley's reign started with a 3-2 defeat at Arsenal and a goalless home draw with Watford, and the 58-year-old admits he has to find a balance as Swansea chase a first win since the opening day of the season.

"We want to be a team that's hard to play against and prepared," Bradley said. "We talk about closing down, about the structure of our team.

"You want to always bring those qualities but then you also want to make sure there are other parts of your team - the way the ball moves, attacking ideas, creating advantages, movements in the box.

"I still try to look at how we can grow as a team, and it's not like one part of it gets emphasised way more than another part."