Obituary
One of the better English managers and a decent bloke who might be lauded a lot more loudly if Beckham
Hadn’t jumped out of that tackle against Brazil in 2002 and Rooney hadn’t got sent off in the game against
Portugal in 2006.
Also the author of this excellent Bon mot about the spud-faced nipper:
“I remember the first time he came, I didn’t understand really what he said?
But now he speaks very good English”
RIP, seemed a decent guy, but managed to get into a few scandals nevertheless.
Given the alleged talent at his disposal, probably underachieved as England manager, never got past a Q final I believe.
Unlike Gareth he never got that “red carpet all the way to the semis” draw. But it’s also true to say he was tactically limited, overcautious and reluctant to make difficult decisions. So, in those aspects, just like Gareth..
Good manager and seems to have been a very nice and classy man. My memories of his time as England manager where that we had more hope and started to do better than we would typically do. Certainly he seemed better than those that followed (up until Southgate). May have been a little bit unlucky but you make your luck in sport.
As good as Big Sam? Oh, come come, Mr Boy!
Especially big Sam.
The only England manager with a 100% winning record. We must never forget this
He’s the only England manager never to win more than one game though…
The Times Martin Samuel has an excellent anecdote about SGE’s way with the ladeez in his tribute:
“One day in the Arsenal directors’ box Barbara Dein, wife of David, then the vice-chairman, had brought a female friend. She was explaining to a mixed group that she had a small shop in the Chelsea area that sold lampshades. Nobody could remember Eriksson even being party to this conversation, but he suddenly materialised on the lady’s shoulder. “Lampshades?” he inquired. “I am looking for some lampshades.” He was living in a hotel at the time. For a while, at Arsenal, looking for some lampshades became a euphemism the way discussing Ugandan affairs is for the magazine Private Eye.”
Another story currently doing the rounds is Didi Hamann’s account of Sven when Man City were on a tour of Thailand:
‘One morning I was on a sun lounger by the pool when I saw Sven walking towards me carrying a silver tray with a bottle of champagne and two glasses on it. It was still only ten o’clock in the morning…Sven came over and put the champagne on the table next to me, then placed one glass in front of me and the other by his lounger. I looked up and said, ‘Boss, what are we celebrating?’… He turned to me and smiled that gentle smile of his and took on the air of a Buddhist philosopher as he said, ‘Life, Kaiser.’ Then after pausing for dramatic effect, ‘We are celebrating…life.’”
For all that the obits now seem to be slightly rewriting history, as ever, (my recollection is that towards the end of his England tenure there was a general view that he had over-indulged his star players, and underachieved) he does seem to have been a likeable and decent man. And he was particularly impressive – and moving – in the way he faced his imminent death.
Great story.
@Blue_Boy
Like the way you share my preference for the cold finality of “death” rather than the wishy-washy “passing”, @Blue_Boy
Sadly we seem to be a dying breed…
Ironically, with Sven being a football man, this might be one of the few occasions where passing was quite apt
I remember watching England in a friendly when Sven was the manager. He used 10 substitutes, the player’s didn’t know if they were coming or going. The captains arm band changed hands four times. I’ve heard of giving player’s a run out but this was ridiculous. A decent man who was maybe too nice for his own good.
And, of course, Ulrika Jonsson. Who’d have thought it!
Whose only response to SGE’s death was to post a picture of a dog’s backside on her Instagram feed after he died.
Classy lady, Ulirka-ka
And Nancy and Faria. Oh those Swedes…
I like Sven a lot but I don’t think he was a particularly good England manager
That 5-1 win over Germany bought him 5 years of goodwill
In hindsight to achieve what he did with that squad of players was a waste.
Great guy by the sound of it and terrific shagger. Gives hope to bald blokes with glasses everywhere
Sad news about Sven.
For all we hear about societal decline these days, it’s worth remembering that this got to number 7 in the charts back in 2001. It is the most hideous thing I’ve ever heard, outside of my Uncle Colin destroying a Greggs pasty with his three remaining teeth:
In 2005, Elvis’s 18 no. 1 hits were reissued in batches of 22,500 in the U.K. and, much to everyone’s surprise, started to get back to no. 1 in the charts!!!
I shouldn’t imagine the UK pop chart of 2001 was any less stagnant.
No. 7 – 20,000 copies? Maybe 30,000?
Societal decline was long into its journey in 2001, but I shouldn’t think many in society noticed this song, and barely anyone would have purchased it.
@Hamlet
The Greggs’ pasty got payback when an impacted piece of gristle ended up destroying Uncle C’s three remaining teeth