| Product: |
Football in General |
| Date: |
20/08/01 (39 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Hes done well, Good manager, Fresh approach
Disadvantages: Still the Germans to come
When Sven Goran Eriksson ended all traditional values this country ever had by taking over the England National team, I for one publicly said this was probably the worst appointment of manager our beloved England had ever seen, and we have seen a few. Glenn Hoddle, Graham Taylor, even Kevin Keegan managed England and all have achieved practically nothing. The only manager in my living memory that has been worthy of wearing the England managers coat is Terry Venables, a man that has appeal, charisma, tactical knowledge, man motivation and yet was practically forced out the by the Football Association due to reasons not connected to his job. Then at the final game that Wembley, the home of English football for many years, would ever see, we lost to Germany and also lost our “saviour”, the man that had been deemed God by the fans and newspapers just one year earlier, as Kevin Keegan decided he didn’t have enough “something” to lead the national team. He bottled it, couldn’t handle the pressure and he left the team in a bad way, with our World Cup 2002 Qualification hopes looking non existent.
Enter Sven Goran Eriksson, the man that had just lead Lazio to the Serie A championship. The man that four years earlier had agreed to manage Blackburn, but at the last minute turned his back on them because he had a better offer. But maybe in the minds of the English fans, the man that was Swedish and didn’t have any English blood in him. Was this being racist not wanting a non-English manager? Was the outcry following his appointment based on his management skills or the fact that he wasn’t English? This man had the credentials of an excellent manager; his record is excellent and is arguably one of the best managers of the past decade. But still many didn’t want him, including myself. I wanted an English manager, a manager that I had respect for, a manager that was born and bred in this country on English traditions
and values.
Six games later and the views that are stated above seem to have gone. The negative tension of watching England play seems to have turned into a positive anticipation. The country has become proud of their national team, something that has not really been the case for many years. No matter where Eriksson takes the England to play, the grounds are full, be it a friendly or a qualifying match. English fans are proud of the way their team is playing, its exciting to watch and more importantly, we now believe we have a chance against any team that we play, whether it be a minor country like Albania or quality team like Spain, we can win and we believe it now.
His England record already speaks for itself and is only tarnished by the latest result against an excellent Netherlands team. Eriksson has played six, won five and lost one and England now have a real chance of qualifying for the World Cup in 2002, something I and many couldn’t have believe a year ago. He started off with a friendly against a tough opponent, Spain. Featuring some of the worlds best players, Spain were seen by many as one of the toughest opponents that Eriksson could have chosen to kick off his managerial career with England with. But come that night at Villa Park way back in February, England won 3 – 0 and played some of the best football the fans have ever seen England play. These fans were then brought back down to earth as Sven Goran Eriksson watched as his side struggle to a hard fought win against an organised Finland team at Anfield. Finland stunned the Anfield crowd by taking a 27th minute lead but England fought back with goals from Owen and Beckham to win the three points. We then went on to beat Albania 3–1, again not the best of performances, but a good result as the qualification points were all that mattered on this occasion.
England then took their travelling team to Pride Park, the home of Derby County to face Mexico in a friend
ly match. The fans at the ground and the fans watching on TV will look back for many years and say this was the best first half performance they have EVER witnessed from an England team. We oozed class, our passing amazing, our finishing simply world class, this was the England we all wanted and had dreamt of for many years. Scholes, Fowler, Beckham and Sheringham all scored as England demolished Mexico and the hopes were high for the future, if England can play like this they could honestly beat any team they may ever play. England then moved onto Athens to play Greece in a vital World Cup Qualifying match and came away with three points, after grinding out a difficult result. England recently played a friendly match against Holland and the result was poor, as was the performance. Although many key players were missing and England used 19 players in the game, we had still hoped, maybe expected more. This result had tarnished Eriksson’s record, but he wasn’t worried and thought it may be a blessing in disguise, we could no longer believe we had the right to win, we had to play for the right to win.
And so we look forward to September the 1st. The day England once again takes on the Germans, the most important match Eriksson has yet to face. They must win if England are to automatically qualify for 2002. But whatever happens we need to think about what has happened over the past year. We have seen England play arguably the best football they have ever produced and when they were not able to play with flair they were able to get the points, the sign of true champions. The fans no longer dread watching England play, they now actually look forward to seeing the match. Eriksson has brought the younger players into the team and has proved he is not afraid to try new players and new ideas even though it may mean we lose. Eriksson is the breath of fresh air that our stale national team has needed, ever since the end of Euro `96 in my opinion.
So fa
r so good for Eriksson, that is undoubtedly true.
But am I willing to admit that I was wrong about Eriksson taking over England? The honest answer is not yet. Not because I am unwilling to admit I was wrong, I honestly hope I have to admit I was wrong when England lifts the World Cup next year. I still think he has yet to prove whether he can hack the pressure this job will place upon him and whether he will be able to handle the criticism he will soon receive by the press and fans if something goes wrong. He has done a good job, that’s obvious, but you can only judge the product on the end result and that is still to come.
Summary:
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