Eriksson should stay, says Robson
Former England manager Sir Bobby Robson says Sven-Goran Eriksson should stay on as the national team's boss despite the shock 1-0 defeat by Northern Ireland.
Eriksson has come in for fierce criticism following the World Cup qualifying loss in Belfast.
But Robson told Sir Stanley: "I would hope he can see it through. It's all about a fight for points and he's got a good chance for that.
"I hope he can enjoy the job and get us to the World Cup, which is imperative."
But Robson feels Eriksson blundered by switching from his tried and trusted 4-4-2 formation to using five men in midfield for the games against Wales - which England won - and Northern Ireland.
"Swedish football has been based on 4-4-2 for years - and Sven is a Swede - and he's played 4-4-2 here in England," he explained.
"His record in competitve games is outstanding so why he's ventured away from 4-4-2 for these matches I don't know because they weren't matches we should have feared.
"We should have been positive, not cautious, not afraid.
"We don't need to change the system, we don't need three players in central midfield - you need two strikers."
Sir Bobby was also highly critical of the decision to play Wayne Rooney on the left wing.
The Manchester United striker's frustration at being isolated boiled over and, after being booked for a challenge on Keith Gillespie, he clashed with captain David Beckham, who was trying to calm him down.
Newspaper reports have claimed the row continued at half-time with Rooney allegedly launching more abuse at Beckham and assistant boss Steve McClaren.
Beckham tried to calm down Rooney after his booking
But Robson says the problem could have been avoided by Eriksson.
"In Rooney we have one of the greatest strikers in Europe and Sven decided to play him in a wide position," he added.
"He doesn't like it. We have a genius on our hands but we played him in the wrong position."
Robson added that he felt that Beckham had at least two years left at the top of the game.
Asked is he would still select Beckham, Robson said: "Always if he was young enough and he had the legs and he was in form and he had the quality.
"Now at the moment, he still has those qualities, of course. I still feel there is a good two years left in David Beckham.
"I still like him in the wide position because he is a great crosser of the ball and you have got to get the ball into the box to score some goals."
