Last season was the final straw for many Manchester City season ticket holders—over the summer, many made the heavyhearted decision not to renew.
It was a dreadful season with few, if any, highlights for the worst home team in the premiership ever in terms of goals. There were no home goals after New Year’s Day, in fact only ten in total. The close season also saw the departure of three of the clubs best performers and the likable Stuart Pearce.
In came “Frank Sinatra” with his millions and he immediately appointed the oft reviled pantomime villain of the piece Sven-Goran Eriksson. While many of the press still wish for him to fail, I believe that he is winning over many of his erstwhile critics.
His late appointment did not leave too much time for reinforcements. Unkindly, many people referred to his signings as “Sven’s Video 11.” Are they forgetting that he has had much free time since his sacking as England coach? Are they also underestimating the influence of Tord Grip?Today's Must Reads
While this man came back from abroad with his recommendations, Sven was tying up the future English prospects with new contracts. To him it was equally vital to ensure that the academy talent was not forced back. He committed to attempting to tie Micah Richards to long term contract. Similarly he persuaded Michael Johnson, who will at some point star for England, to resist the advances of Liverpool. Steven Ireland, Nedum Onuha, and Kaspar Schmeichel have also been tied in.
I am sure that many of these contracts will only be honored if City make the European cut next season, if not this. Eriksson does seem to be building for the future though. It is rumoured that he will not sign anybody older than 26.
So let us consider how the club has performed on the field this season—100 percent home premiership record with half the fixtures behind them. This is magnificent by anybody’s standards. They still have Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool to come, but they have beaten their local rivals.
Away from home must be cause for concern if they are to achieve their ambitions of a Top Six finish. The club will state top half after last season, but they are not fooling anybody with six meagre points so far. They were hammered at Chelsea, but did keep three consecutive clean sheets thereafter, so they do seem to be able to react positively to a setback.
They have just been dumped out of the Carling Cup at home by Spurs. Will this cause a crisis of confidence? It remains to be seen, but I do not think so.
Sven also appears to be more ruthless at club level and prepared to switch tactics if he is not getting the upper hand on the pitch. He will switch his formation at halftime if he feels he needs to. City are patient to build from the back, but deadly on the counter attack. He has also moved already to try and find his 20 goals a season forward by signing Nery Castillo on loan. If he can find his man, City could seriously challenge for honors.
Can City finish in the Top Four? I would have to say no, not this year.
But can they finish in the Top Six? This is more likely.
Will they win a trophy? Probably not now the Carling Cup has gone, but they may well reach the last four of the FA cup.
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8 months ago
I am not, nor have ever been a critic of Eriksson. I think he was great for the English National team, making a group of spoiled individuals overachieve. And I see great things brewing for Citeh. I think we finally have a manager who will make it to ten years in charge. And he seems to be planning for that. No trophies this year, but the new owner won't care. Top six is not just likely...I think it is certain. As an Arsenal fan Man City is one of the only places I am afraid of the Gunners playing away this year. I know we're vulnerable to shock defeats (like Boro), but getting beaten away to Citeh wouldn't be a shock. I think we'll be lucky against Sven's men. I am curious Michael...what do you think about Sven's burgeoning international squad? What does it say about English football that the old England manager is buying foreigners and only using England U21s? Good article.
from 8 months ago
I think he has certainly looked at englsih options, but I would suggest that many of them are either no stronger than the players that he has signed, or playing for a top 4 club. You then would have the question of why would they leave there, would they be allowed to leave there, and at what cost. There are a few players that do spring to mind. One of which is Defoe. I suspect though, that City do not match his ambitions. If there is a class act at one of the smaller clubs, then his transfer fee would be artificially inflated. We ourselves benefitted greatly from this with SWP
8 months ago
Most nations would (and do) lionise any coach/manager capable of lifting a lacklustre national squad (who had a pretty dismal record over many decades and who were already heading for a pretty mediocre W-Cup 2002 qualifying round) and turn them into a team capable of cruising so easily to top qualifying place and make a significant mark in every international tournament for five and a half years.
The British press seemed to initially hero worship Eriksson, but once the novelty of actually winning pretty consistently wore off, nothing but a trophy would satisfy them and maybe Sven's enigmatic demeanor (linked to envy of his batchelor life style?) was also a frustrating factor in turning their worship into such venomous activities and hyperbolic criticism?
TheFA list Sven as England's second most successful manager in history after Sir Alf Ramsay only because of the heroic England team's "home" World Cup win in 1966. Outside of a tournament win, Sven is the number one on all other statistics and the "ice man" dismissed as an "underachiever" managed to win the majority of matches, drew a few and lost ONLY 5 competitive games during the whole of his tenure winning loyalty and admiration from his players and most "real" England fans.
The press accused Sven of "wasting the talent of England's golden generation" when many consider outside events and some very "strange" referee's judgements "robbed" England of success past each quarter final stage. The dismal failure of that same "golden generation" without Sven's guidance would seem to indicate that it WAS Sven who was the author of the success from 2001 to 2006?
Subsequent failure in qualifying for Euro 2008 (with virtually the SAME squad) under a far less talented manager and Sven's "business as usual" turn around of Man City's fortunes can only serve to highlight the disservice to England's prospects by those who contrived "fake Sheik" stings and invented the constant malice that finally drove Sven and TheFA to part company with 2 years still left on his contract.
(Does anyone really think England would have failed to qualify for Euro2008 if Sven had still been in charge?)
England's loss is Manchester City's gain so at least it's not all bad news for some soccer fans!
Maybe the press will look back and reconsider how they "rewarded" Svennis now that England are back in the more familiar (pre-Sven) position as "failed underdogs", but lets hope that Fabio Capello win's EVERY match and lives like a monk to avoid similar (xenophobic?) treatment by those same "fair minded" and "patriotic" elements within the British media who continue to write about Sven's "underachievement" as England boss?
Svenalike.co.uk
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