Sven: too greedy for England’s good?

I cannot believe that this fraud of a manager hasn’t been uncovered before. Can the FA really be so stupid to employ a person without any passion for the English game? As an ardent England supporter, I am truly dismayed that we have been taken in by this greedy man. Bring on Big Sam. Naik Singh, Birmingham

What! A stupid and greedy person in football? Surely not! Luke Toomey, Basingstoke

Simon Barnes has written an article justifying the behaviour of the press. Matt Dickinson’s article is much more balanced and hints that even some members of the fourth estate find this type of “make your own” news approach to selling papers distasteful. Should the Press Complaints Commission investigate the News of the World for entrapment? A start would be to publish everything that was done regarding this setup including expenses and full, not edited, transcripts. Name and address withheld

His indiscretions and infidelities have been well documented. He possesses two of the seven deadly sins: greed and lust (in abundance). However the situation is resolved he will still walk away with a big smile on his face and a few million in his pocket. Amandeep Bhogal, Birmingham

Do the English press actually want England to do well at the World Cup? Clearly they don’t want Sven as the manager, but given the lengths the red tops will go to sting their man who else would want the job after Sven? Allardyce and McLaren do not excite me and if I were Hiddinck or O’Neill, genuine top class candidates, I would be hanging on for the Manchester United job. I don’t see Sven as a great manager. However, he is the man we have, for better or worse, and he’s taking our “golden generation” to the World Cup. What is to be gained by setting him up? At best it will have unsettled the senior players and, at worst, had he said anything more damaging, the FA could have been under severe pressure to sack him with only five months to go. The press can’t criticise a man for greed when they go about their business in such an unscrupulous way purely to engineer a scandal in order to sell papers. Patrick Moore, Bingley

I totally agree with Simon Barnes in The Times; the man’s both greedy and stupid. I don’t think it has much to do with loyalty; it’s more to do with the fact that the English football fan (who’s paying his ridiculous salary) is entitled to expect his full concentration on the World Cup. I don’t want this to come across as nationalistic, but to me it’s inconceivable that men like Brian Robson, Stuart Pearce or Alan Curbishley would ever be caught in such a grubby trap. Graham Johnson

I believe Sven is too greedy by far. I realise that many might sympathise as he was caught in a sting, but given that his supposed comments were made while he was completely at ease, this suggests that they are his true feelings. I don’t care for Sven as a coach, I believe we have several English coaches who could do a better job, but I would warn against anyone using this as a platform to attack Sven for his managerial capabilities. Rather, I feel that he has set a terrible example to the millions of England fans who actually do have the team’s interests at heart. Managing the national team isn’t just a job, as Sven has found out to his cost time and time again, it is a life. What must other countries think of England? An FA run like a “Carry On” film, a head coach constantly tottering from one gaffe to the next. It is time for the FA take a look at their multi-million pound investment and bid him goodbye before he really does get the chance to sell us all up the river. Adrian Leighton, Cannock

It is not so much a question of greed but judgement. This is a man that for the past four years has been incredibly well remunerated by the FA to undertake the responsibilities associated with advancing the national team and improving our potential to win a major competition. To this date, he has failed on two occassions with arguably the best resources in many years. So when we’re no more than a few months from the World Cup and our best chance of success since 1966 it is astonishing to find this man has considered it appropriate to deviate his attention from planning his success in Germany in pursuit of his own ambitions. If we go back to Jose Mourinho when he was at Porto, he knew he would leave Porto once he had finished the Champions League as winners, an objective he realised with thorough planning and total focus, he then discussed his future from a position of strength. As a credible leader of people where you have to take difficult decisions, good judgement is key to success and once again Sven seems to have demonstrated his total lack of it, not to mention his integrity. Karl Simpson, London

Given that Sven, or any other football manager, stands to lose his job at short notice, who can blame him for keeping a few irons in the fire? Most of us when approached with a job offer would leave our options open which is all he seems to have been doing really. The comments about the players were hardly shocking were they? Rooney’s got a temper - no kidding! Beckham might be tempted back to England - geddaway! Owen moved for the money - shock, horror! About time everyone got a grip I think. David Mather, Hong Kong

It appears that if you sign up as the England manager, you sign away all of the rights that the rest of us enjoy. Sven is considered a top-class manager. The only people who are going to be offended by this latest story are those that dream of reaching such a position but never will. People like Sven will - by their very nature - always consider the best option, the next option for them in the future - and why not? Anyone of us would at least consider a move if we were offered twice our salary or a better job. This is just another example of some people who think Sven should not have had his contract extended - and, incidentally, I am one of those people - taking the opportunity to further weaken his position but this is the wrong way to go about it. Keith Downer, London

Sven-Goran Eriksson should be amazed that he has kept his position as England manager for so long. Never before have we had a manager who is so uninspiring and incapable of keeping his mouth shut at the right moments. It seems to me that his only passions are his back pocket and the odd casual love affair thrown in for good measure. He certainly doesn’t seem to have any fire left in him for the game of football. Name and address withheld

Eriksson is a mercenary and he is doing what mercenary’s do: he is going to the highest bidder. He is looking beyond this summer’s humiliation at the World Cup and is hedging his bets, nothing more. As for his players, they will have sympathy with him as they are also cut from the same cloth. I am actually surprised with the fanfare over him going to meet some Arab about doing some business. Fans and sports writers alike already known what he is like so none of this should come as a surprise to anybody. Glenn Renshaw, Newbury

This is the right way for the FA to be reacting. I can’t say I was surprised when I heard this news, and I’m sure they weren’t either. This is just Sven being Sven. With Germany months away, a managerial switch would be ill-advised. Besides, it’s all but assumed that if England don’t win the cup, Sven will be gone. Barry Petchevsky, Philadelphia

Apologise? Its about time this over paid, under achieving bunch were told the truth. Why should Eriksson be any more dedicated than Rio Ferdinand? Or Ashley Cole? Or any of the others who have agents constantly on the look out for more money. History tells you that plenty of managers get sacked so why shouldn’t he be realistic? The whole affair is disingenuous and loaded with double standards by a less than ethical press. Stephen Thomas, Moscow, Russia

Whilst on the face of it Sven has not said anything that we the public did not know, i.e. Ferdinand is lazy (that is why he was dropped), Beckham will sign for me (they are sycophantic about each other). The point is he is paid a vast fortune to win us the World Cup. He should not therefore be doing anything other than plotting and scheming England’s win. He should be travelling not to Dubai but to all the countries we might play in the World Cup and build a dossier himself. How did Clive Woodward win the World Cup? How did Darren Fletcher beat the Aussies to win the Ashes? Both were meticulous in their planning and never stopped plotting their opponent’s downfall. Sven might have a good record but has never got close to winning anything for England. I do not believe he will win. Let’s get in Jose Mourinho or Martin O’Neill. They would give you 110 per cent and conviction and team spirit would be there. Philip Taylor, Preston

As a Brit who left the country five years ago, I am a little shocked that there should be condemnation of the newspaper that pulled this off. Sven should try and sue them. What doesn’t surprise me is the general hypocrisy. England managers have no job security and it’s generally accepted that after the World Cup the FA and the press would like Sven to be gone. Most people in that situation would be looking for a new job. The fact that his contract extends to 2008, was sparked by tabloid worries that he might join Chelsea. Sven is a mercenary who goes where the money is. England needed someone with his experience of international football. There seems to be a subtext that he should be more loyal to England. Why, given the way he has been treated? Hugo Peters, Dallas, USA

The worrying aspect of Eriksson is that he is that the FA can’t afford to get rid of him because of his contract and enormous salary. He’s untouchable and knows it. He can do what he likes and does. We’re stuck with him. Chris O’Rourke, Accrington

This makes Sven perfect for the job of England boss as this will simply increase the empathy between manager and players. Remember, it wasn’t so long ago that the England players were threatening to strike for more money during a competition. They are all greedy so-and-sos. Pride in representing their country or club doesn’t come into it. Steven Gerrard is a classic example - he only stayed at Liverpool when they agreed to his over-inflated pay demands - and yet the “faithful” at that club still seem to think he is Liverpool through and through. Football is based on greed and it is nothing but wilful naivety for the newspapers to pretend otherwise. Derek Sinclair, Dundee

Sven is doing what anyone would do in the interest of their career. Just because he earns £3 million a year should not alter the fact. It should be aware to anyone that after the next world-cup, no matter what the result, he will have no challenges left, as 2010 is a long way away. Vinay Mehra, Purley

I don’t have a problem with Sven considering alternative employment after the World Cup. But his indiscretions confirm something much more worrying from a footballing perspective. And that is that Beckham is untouchable. They are that close (two fingers crossed was apparently Sven’s way of illustrating it). If Beckham has a great World Cup then England will benefit from the friendship. But if he doesn’t will Sven take him off or even leave him out if it becomes obvious that, say, the best way to incorporate the talents Gerrard and Lampard in midfield is without Beckham? I doubt it. John Slaytor

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