What is it about Sven-Goran Eriksson? His time in charge of England and Manchester City ended in failure, he brings more than his fair share of negative publicity for his off-field behaviour and he’s one of the most expensive managers in the world, yet it seems that he is never short of admirers.
He walked straight from Eastlands into the Mexico job and is now being strongly linked with Portsmouth since things aren’t going too well in central America.
People often say he is surprisingly charismatic. From a player’s point of view, they like that he treats them like adults and gives them free rein to do more or less what they want – a contrast with a strict disciplinarian such as Fabio Capello.
The England squad enjoyed playing for him but it was obvious that he over-indulged the star players, picking on reputation more than form.
Perhaps that’s why he’s a manager who makes a strong short-term impact. I know from my experience that, naturally enough, players respond well when the new man is friendly and supportive.
But it’s not always a recipe for long-term success, because there is a risk of players slacking off, taking advantage of a lax regime, losing respect for him.
Certainly England did not kick on after their good start under Eriksson, they lost momentum. And neither did Manchester City, whose form collapsed badly after Christmas last season, leading to his sacking. While it ended unhappily at City for Eriksson, though, we shouldn’t forget that he surprised a lot of people, including me, by how good the team were in the early months.
They were lucky at times but they really came out of the blocks flying with an exciting, offensive style, and little-known buys such as Martin Petrov and Elano proved excellent purchases. That he’s being talked about for a return to the Barclays Premier League shows that those initial months have not been overshadowed by the messy finish to his time in the north west.
But Portsmouth? At his previous clubs, Eriksson has had fortunes to spend on top-quality players. Not at Fratton Park where Portsmouth are a selling club now. And is his laid-back style too relaxed for the intensity of a relegation battle, which Portsmouth are definitely in? His appointment would be a real risk. But I’d like to see him back in this country, if only because I’m curious to see how it would turn out.
