I really hope it is nothing but a rumour, but Sven is being touted as the next Mexican national team coach. I really don't understand the football owners in Mexico, don't they realize he won nothing internationally with England, with everything in his favor?!

More importantly, what does he bring to the table except some name recognition and that he won the league years ago? He probably knows only one of our players, Nery Castillo, and that is because he plays for City.

So dear Thaksin, reconsider. Our secretaries are scared.

QUOTE:
don't they realize he won nothing internationally with England, with everything in his favor?!

Hmm, that depends on how much you believed the 'Golden Generation' hype.

Yep, and it's quite difficult to actually win something at international level - one trophy every two years. Certainly more difficult than at club level.

That's not to say that Eriksson was rubbish with England, mind.

As McClaren showed, under Erikson England overachieved.

I would tend to agree with all responses to the original post.

I can't think that many fans around the globe - whether of club or international teams - would be filled with dread at the prospect of Eriksson coaching their team.

I'm holding out hope that he'll still be coaching mine next season.

My dread is based on the assumption that this guy knows nothing about our football. One can refer to previous cases of imported European coaches flopping in Latin America, e.g. Maldini with Paraguay.

In my opinion, Sven underachieved with England. My "proof" is the fact that Greece (!) won Euro2004 with players who on the average are much below the level of Gerrard, Ferdinand, etc...

By that measure, every European team underachieved. Greece's win was a delicious aberration.

Under Erikson, England reached level at the lower end of Europe's top 8. Under McClaren, England ended up outside the top 16, and were lucky that their non-qualification went to the wire. I reckon England's true level is somewhere in between McClaren's failure and Sven's accomplishments.

About 12th best in Europe seems to be England's true position, decent players like Gerrard and Ferdinand notwithstanding.

"My dread is based on the assumption that this guy knows nothing about our football".

So Mourinho, Hiddink, Lippi or Scolari would be no good for you either, then?

If you simply want the coach of the Mexican national team to be a Mexican just say so.

Scolari would be acceptable, I would suspect. Portugal played Mexico in the group in the last World Cup, so he ought to have a handle on some of their players. Plus, in his time as Brazil coach, he will have faced Mexico a few times so again have some knowledge.

I would be dubious about Mourinho, Hiddink or Lippi taking the Mexico job as well. The enviroment would just seem... alien to them, somehow. And Rojin has already suggested that high profile southern European coaches are out, by pointing towards Cesare Maldini and Paraguay.


How about Bruce Arena for Mexico? He beat you often enough, so must have a few ideas where the problems lie...

Menotti? La Volpe again? Perhaps most likely... Pekerman? None could do worse than Sánchez...

It won't be Sven though, will it. He's mentioned for the same reason Mourinho has been - the Mexican federation have shitloads of money and can afford the massive wages either of those two would want. Doesn't mean they'll go for them, though...

Of course I don't necessarily want a Mexican to take over. I personally prefer Pekerman, or Bielsa if he wasn't coaching Chile. I totally supported Lavolpe as well during his uneven tenure.

The point is that the coach to have some familiarity with the league, and possibly even have worked there like Pekerman. What I don't want is a guy has zero clue about the mexican football league managing the team from Europe from his Iphone. That strikes me as the least likely way to get results.

I've not seen a Man City game since Sven took over, so accept that they may be playing sexy football under him that I'm not aware of.

When managers of some of the poorer teams are asked how they intend getting out of the pickle they're in they usually say something along the lines of "We've got to work hard" or "We must scrap for every point". My interpetation of these platitudes is "To be honest I'm all out of ideas. Maybe we'll run around the pitch a few more times in training".

Last week I heard Sven uttering this sort of pap as well. Based on that, the criticism of his World Cup team talk, the cost of hiring/firing him, his (am I being unkind?) modest career successes on large budgets plus his inexplicable team selections at City I fail to see why anyone would be overly keen on having him as coach.

Though perhaps the answer to this riddle lies in most of City's managers of the past thirty years?

When managers of some of the poorer teams are asked how they intend getting out of the pickle they're in they usually say something along the lines of "We've got to work hard" or "We must scrap for every point". My interpetation of these platitudes is "To be honest I'm all out of ideas. Maybe we'll run around the pitch a few more times in training".

Damn straight. It's also a sort of answer to this current 'what can we do to stop the Big Four from getting any bigger?' question doing the rounds. When you've got such managerial car-boot-standard material around, what can Ferguson and Wenger do but put their feet up and relax?

Meanwhile, Sven's already making plans.

Confirmed.
I think this is a good thing for Mexico. It'll probably put pressure on the US to dump Bradley for a bigger name after the Spain and Argie friendlies this week..

I dunno whether Mexico think they can do better, and I am well fearful for them for the fact that they even want Eriksson. In the last world cup, they were doing pretty well (unlucky against Argentina) without the need for a European coach, and especially one who is only into pneumatic dark haired ladies...

He's not *only* into pneumatic dark haired ladies...