Legacy of a Swede

Its back! This weekend saw the start of the new premiership season. The hopes, dreams and ambitions returning. Although at the end of the first 90 minutes of your team’s first game, you may have wished it had been delayed for another week. I know I did. Being a Spurs supporter I saw my team lose the very first game of the premiership season, away to Sunderland. But I shouldn’t be too despondent its very early days yet.

The surprise of the weekend though, coincided with the return to English football of a figure that has caused debate, anger and at times, complete confusion during his involvement with the English game. I speak of course of Sven Goran Eriksson, the new manager of Manchester City.

A dubious takeover at Maine Road has brought the Swede back to England, this time in domestic football. However, his first game in charge this weekend saw his new charges win convincingly at West Ham.
A good start in his new job, But should we really be that surprised?

Eriksson’s record at domestic level is one to be admired. He won the Swedish cup in his first season as manager at IFK Gothenburg and then went on to complete a treble in 1982, of the Swedish league, cup and UEFA cup.
He has won league titles in Portugal and Italy as well as winning the European Cup Winners Cup with Lazio in 1999.

With England he qualified for every major tournament. Even if on arrival there England’s performances left a lot to be desired, England always reached the later stages of the competition, Sven’s teams never found themselves on the plane home after the end of the qualifying groups. Unlike it has to be said the teams of other England Managers.

So Manchester City supporters have a lot to be thankful for at having him in charge. Although as I said it is early days yet, and it may all go horribly wrong. Or maybe, just maybe, Sven Goran Eriksson will show English football just what they let go at international level in that eternal search for the great ‘English’ England manager.