Eriksson 'fed up' with criticism
Ex-England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has had enough of being labelled a failure, according to Uefa president and fellow Swede Lennart Johansson.
Johansson says Eriksson pulled out of being a guest speaker at the Fifa international football symposium in Berlin because of severe criticism.
\"He has had enough,\" said Johansson. \"He thinks that people have been saying how incompetent he is.
\"Just because England have now won a match, people say how bad he was.\"
Eriksson's five years in charge of England ended in disappointment in July when his side were knocked out of the World Cup at the quarter-final stage by Portugal.
It was a familiar ending for Eriksson and England in major tournaments, after they lost to Brazil in the last eight of the 2002 World Cup and to Portugal at the same stage of Euro 2004.
The 58-year-old Swede was castigated in some quarters after earning a reported £25m during his five years at the helm.
Former England skipper Terry Butcher claimed Eriksson left the team \"no further forward than when he was appointed\".
Eriksson had been invited to be among the VIP speakers at the Fifa conference alongside Italy's World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi and France's Raymond Domenech.
Johansson added: \"He has his money and will still try to have his pride, instead of standing here in Berlin with nobody listening to him because he failed to bring the World Cup to England.\"
Eriksson was also lambasted in the English tabloid press after a succession of revelations about his private life.
Johansson believes Eriksson had to endure too many invasions of privacy during his time in charge.
\"I don't defend him, and there are things he did he should have avoided,\" said Johansson. \"But I can understand that he had had enough.
\"He tried to adapt to the style where you hunt people all through the night but he just had enough.\"
Yeah well if you read newspapers...and I for one thought that he was a decent manager and if I said if once I've said it etc etc
THANKS FOR CROUCH AND HARGREAVES
Every success in whatever you do Sven( as if he will read this!!)
i agree with you ssb, sven was a decent coach. the only draw back for his england career was that he didn't have heart, good tactional coach but no strength, backbone and the power to be hard with his players when needed.
maybe the england job wasn't for him, but who knows he could come back with a team who can really play his way and hopefully the failiure tag will be droped.
He was never a failure at all in my eyes only newspapers said this, never the TV media.
One thing that Sven had was a cool composure on camera he never succumed to newspaper lies and what do we know he may have been an animal in the dressing room..we will never know...Im pleased he resigned when he did it was the best thing to do before the newspapers got it too out of control and I will blame the players for the results not the manager, for years we have had to endure primadonna attitudes and vastly over paid idiots.As for the new manager he's playing off Sven and hasn't impressed me yet, Checkout Germany thats impressive and a team to look out for the future. :wink:
as i have said before and agreeing with you all the way the tabloids have made svens life a living hell in england. why. is it because he was our first forign manager or was it because the manager/coach is an easier target than blaming the players for not playing well. i don't think germany is just the team to look out for i reckon holland are starting to play like they should under the genius that is marco van basten.
You have it there teddy , they (newspapers) picked on him like they do all England managers but more than usual!! Holland now I forgot about them they are getting better....van baston is the man! :wink:
