The truth about Sven

[suffolk fox]

Was out at a social evening last night in London. Whole host of people there of course in one of London's swanky hotels. Half way through the evening I get speaking to a chap sitting on our table about football. Turns out he was on the Board of Directors when Sven was at Notts County. Told me numerous things some quite funny how they were all hoodwinked in believing the consortium buying them had money which they did not. Signings of Kasper Schmeichel and Sol Campbell. Sol playing one game away at Morcombe then clearing off halfway through training the next day never to return. One underlying factor he said about Sven was that he was a gentleman and a privilage to have known and had dealings with him. The day it all went bellyup Sven was four months into a five year contract. In the Board meeting that followed Sven under the terms of the contract was owed 2.4 million pounds or thereabouts. Was told obviously they could not pay him and even if they had too the club would fold go under go into liquidation. Sven walked away and tore the contract up. Taking two days pay in lieu. This chap went onto say that Sven was and still his in his own words "one of the nicest people he has ever had the priviledge of knowing honest to the day is true".

Morale of the story do not believe all the people looking for a scapegoat to blame for our finances. I am convinced it is not Sven Goran Erricsson. (Identity of Notts County Board of Director will remain Confidential).

[Finnegan]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, anyone blaming Sven for the contracts of our highest earners is naive beyond belief and just afraid to put blame where it belongs.

 

Managers pick their players, businessmen try to sign them. It's up to the suits to keep the manager inside of their budgets. If a mother and a child are in a supermarket and the child keeps throwing sweets and junk food in to the trolley, when it's time to pay if the bill ends up being huge and the kid ends up being fat, who do you blame?

 

That said, being "nice" (as I've no doubt Sven is) doesn't make you a good football manager and his choice of players and his tactical approach were largely both shit. I'm not suggesting for one moment he was a great manager (although nowhere near as bad as people make out, he was two points off the play-offs - not relegation.) But I do think it's important to place blame appropriately and, sadly, that's with our owners and directors.

 

Hopefully they've learnt. 

[turkish14]

No one doubts that Sven was a gentleman and all round nice guy.... However his targets were bought in (irrespective of cost and who sanctioned them)

His players were, it would seem not good enough.

[BNET]

The gulf in class between Sven and Coco !  

 

Sven, look at his track record.

 

Coco, do the same.

 

no comparison and people still blame Sven for Pigheads atrocities.

 

 

For the record Sven needed to go, but he is ten times the manager than our current clown.

[MrSpaM]

Its pretty widely known Sven had nothing to do with player fees and wages. He just gave Top a list of players he was interested in and they did the rest. This whole myth that Sven cost us a fortune is exactly that, a myth. Its our owners that agreed these ridiculous transfers.

[turkish14]

Its pretty widely known Sven had nothing to do with player fees and wages. He just gave Top a list of players he was interested in and they did the rest. This whole myth that Sven cost us a fortune is exactly that, a myth. Its our owners that agreed these ridiculous transfers.

I agree with your point that it was not Sven who payed the fees thus should not be blamed.

But do you not think aside from Kasper and nuge possible Konch, that the players bought in were not good enough?

[MC Prussian]

The gulf in class between Sven and Coco !

Sven, look at his track record.

Coco, do the same.

no comparison and people still blame Sven for Pigheads atrocities.

For the record Sven needed to go, but he is ten times the manager than our current clown.

Yeah, look at Sven's track record. Switching between jobs like others change their underwear - at least since 2006/2007.

Never been the same since his England days, never had a job for more than twelve months.

I still like Eriksson and do believe that he's a very nice guy - but his days as a competent manager are over now.

He's been living off his reputation and the very same track record you've mentioned yourself - and his choices of managerial posts in recent years suggest he's truly all about the money, after all.

[Mack]

I think most people would accept that Sven is a very nice guy, certainly anyone who has met him will tell you that.

He was also sacked way too soon, a mistake by the owners that in private they would probably admit in hindsight.

The man does not deserve the blame for the overpaid players nor the situation the club finds itself in now.

I for one wish we'd have stuck with him a few months longer, and wonder if we'd be in the quandary we are now if we had done so.

 

Of course, just like with Nigel, there are those who had it in for the bloke before he walked through the door, so you will always get an element of mindless detractors.

[Strokes]

I think most people would accept that Sven is a very nice guy, certainly anyone who has met him will tell you that.

He was also sacked way too soon, a mistake by the owners that in private they would probably admit in hindsight.

The man does not deserve the blame for the overpaid players nor the situation the club finds itself in now.

I for one wish we'd have stuck with him a few months longer, and wonder if we'd be in the quandary we are now if we had done so.

Of course, just like with Nigel, there are those who had it in for the bloke before he walked through the door, so you will always get an element of mindless detractors.

I think I agree with pretty much all of that.

[cc_star]

People still debating the manager who is still hindering our progress now & inability to strengthen the playing staff now until the likes of Gallagher, Wellens, Danns & Beckford can be moved on. Which is a near impossibility given their deals.

Of course Sven's name isn't on the contracts, but what board is going to bring in a high profile manager and then not bring in the players who he told them would get them out of this division?

They were naive as hell, that's undoubted. He was the most disastrous appointment since Peter Taylor, and the negative effects will be just as long lasting.

The fact he allowed Notts County to walk away from their contractual obligations is undoubtedly brilliant & admirable in this era, can't argue with that at all.

Wonder if he told Topp he could keep his £1.5m, for the second year of his contract?

Feel for Nige & co trying to strength us with both hands tied behind their back, knowing that other clubs can have our pants down because we HAVE to sell & HAVE to contribute to their ongoing contracts because of how unsustainable they are.

All hail Sven... The man who did **** all for a decade since he outspent the whole of Europe added together spending quarter of a billion buying the Italian league... And was sacked from every single job since making a career out of under performing & subsequent payoffs.

Nice guy though, just like every con man

[Jace]

Sven was brought in with a purpose of bring in as much talent and quality as he could as quickly as possible at no expense, it could of worked but where the plan failed badly was scrapping it 2 months into a season leaving a bad balance of wages and players. Personally I don't think the plan would have been sustainable long term even in the Premiership but he was only doing what the owners gave him the objection of doing. If the fall out in the dressing room before the Millwall game was because he suggested that some of the players who traveled far for every home match and should consider moving closer rather than turning up late then he should have been given more respect by the board and the players in my opinion. 

[jamesmilner]

Andrew Neville negotiated fees and wages and wrote out the contracts for all the players on too much wonga . 100% fact .ok ,he must have been in conference with the thais all the way through but he did them all. since then we've had whelan and now robinson and now richards, all have come in to sort out his failures  . Neville was and still obviously is useless at his job and not trusted  .

[ealingfox]

All hail Sven... The man who did **** all for a decade since he outspent the whole of Europe added together spending quarter of a billion buying the Italian league... And was sacked from every single job since making a career out of under performing & subsequent payoffs.

Nice guy though, just like every con man

 

This. I don't think people understand that the 'con' is short for confidence, i.e. they instil confidence in the mark that they can provide, whilst they are swindling them. That unfortunately is Sven.

[The Year Of The Fox]

Theres no doubting he's a nice guy. 100s of footballers would tell you the same. He was still tactically inept though

[Lambert09]

So all we had to do was tell him we were going to go bust and we wouldnt of had to pay him ? 

[Fox92]

Well he's a nice guy. There are thousands of these about. But being a nice guy doesn't make you a good football manager, it's not an essential attribute to have; look at the likes of Brian Clough and Alex Ferguson as examples.

 

I'm not looking for a scapegoat, never have been. But at the end of the day, he was the manager when all this happened. So I blame him for it - "first rule of leadership, everything is your fault". 

 

It's not just about paying stupid money for players, I also look at other things:

. Paying lots of money for loans

. Paying these players stupid wages

. Not buying any wingers and instead having around 7 or 8 central midfielders (What the hell was that about!?)

. Offering contract extensions, with ridiculous wages, to certain players who Pearson is now stuck with

 

I don't 'hate' Sven, but I just wish all this never happened. Thanks to all this overspending, our current manager is now left with overpaid players he can't get rid of that is having an influence on his ability to bring in players.

[Dickov22]

Well he's a nice guy. There are thousands of these about. But being a nice guy doesn't make you a good football manager, it's not an essential attribute to have; look at the likes of Brian Clough and Alex Ferguson as examples.

I'm not looking for a scapegoat, never have been. But at the end of the day, he was the manager when all this happened. So I blame him for it - "first rule of leadership, everything is your fault".

It's not just about paying stupid money for players, I also look at other things:

. Paying lots of money for loans

. Paying these players stupid wages

. Not buying any wingers and instead having around 7 or 8 central midfielders (What the hell was that about!?)

. Offering contract extensions, with ridiculous wages, to certain players who Pearson is now stuck with

I don't 'hate' Sven, but I just wish all this never happened. Thanks to all this overspending, our current manager is now left with overpaid players he can't get rid of that is having an influence on his ability to bring in players.

Spot on.

[Fox Ulike]

So, multi-millionaire Sven tore up a contract for a huge wodge of money that he would never have been paid anyway.

Had Notts County gone into administration, Sven would never have worked again in this country. His reputation would have been completely ruined.

He did what any decent businessman would have done, which was to take a financial hit in order to protect his reputation, and extricate himself from a potential PR disaster.

Sven isn't evil. I don't think though that we should be clapping him on the back for that though.

[SystonFox]

End of the day don't worry about it. The enigma that is Sven Goran Eriksson managed our football club, albeit badly, and that will go down in history.

Lazio > England > Leicester City F.C

Great career path

[BNET]

This. I don't think people understand that the 'con' is short for confidence, i.e. they instil confidence in the mark that they can provide, whilst they are swindling them. That unfortunately is Sven.

 

 

This. I don't think people understand that the 'con' is short for confidence, i.e. they instil confidence in the mark that they can provide, whilst they are swindling them. That unfortunately is Sven.

Sven a conman, i've heard it all know !!   There was an agreement between two parties, how on earth did Sven deceive anyone, did he tell them lies, if so how do you know this ?  He may have not been good enough at his job, but l doubt very much that he lied to the owners, i'm amazed at this comment, then again you might know something we all don't, please enlighten us.

[BNET]

So, multi-millionaire Sven tore up a contract for a huge wodge of money that he would never have been paid anyway.

Had Notts County gone into administration, Sven would never have worked again in this country. His reputation would have been completely ruined.

He did what any decent businessman would have done, which was to take a financial hit in order to protect his reputation, and extricate himself from a potential PR disaster.

Sven isn't evil. I don't think though that we should be clapping him on the back for that though.

 

 

So, multi-millionaire Sven tore up a contract for a huge wodge of money that he would never have been paid anyway.

Had Notts County gone into administration, Sven would never have worked again in this country. His reputation would have been completely ruined.

He did what any decent businessman would have done, which was to take a financial hit in order to protect his reputation, and extricate himself from a potential PR disaster.

Sven isn't evil. I don't think though that we should be clapping him on the back for that though.

Thats dead right Fox Ulike, he took a honourable way out, but l also think it was considered.

[ealingfox]

Sven a conman, i've heard it all know !!   There was an agreement between two parties, how on earth did Sven deceive anyone, did he tell them lies, if so how do you know this ?  He may have not been good enough at his job, but l doubt very much that he lied to the owners, i'm amazed at this comment, then again you might know something we all don't, please enlighten us.

 

It was a general view of his tenure. He made us confident he was a good enough manager deserving of a big pay packet who was capable of taking us up, made the higher-ups confident that the lavish spending spree on your Balls, Johnsons and Paintsils would make us strong. He did fvck all and then got sacked, taking an even bigger pay packet with him. I'd say making a huge amount of money for achieving nothing is something of a con, wouldn't you?

[Fox Ulike]

Michael Ball played the last league game of his football career in December 2008.

Almost 3 years later, (August 2011), Sven gave him a one year contract.

I do not believe that Sven's motives in agreeing this deal were football-related, nor that he was acting in the best interests of LCFC.

[Webbo]

Michael Ball played the last league game of his football career in December 2008.

Almost 3 years later, (August 2011), Sven gave him a one year contract.

I do not believe that Sven's motives in agreeing this deal were football-related, nor that he was acting in the best interests of LCFC.

I think there maybe something in that.

[BNET]

It was a general view of his tenure. He made us confident he was a good enough manager deserving of a big pay packet who was capable of taking us up, made the higher-ups confident that the lavish spending spree on your Balls, Johnsons and Paintsils would make us strong. He did fvck all and then got sacked, taking an even bigger pay packet with him. I'd say making a huge amount of money for achieving nothing is something of a con, wouldn't you?

 

 

It was a general view of his tenure. He made us confident he was a good enough manager deserving of a big pay packet who was capable of taking us up, made the higher-ups confident that the lavish spending spree on your Balls, Johnsons and Paintsils would make us strong. He did fvck all and then got sacked, taking an even bigger pay packet with him. I'd say making a huge amount of money for achieving nothing is something of a con, wouldn't you?

No l wouldn't.