Tributes have been pouring in for Sven-Goran Eriksson who passed away on Monday at the age of 76. The fact that there have been so many headlines containing the word "gentleman" is a reflection of the respect the football world held for the Swede who was the first foreign coach of England's national team.
Eriksson never showed much emotion on the touchline prompting the Guardian to call him "the manager who hid a flame inside his glacier."
What may be overlooked is how much nonsense Eriksson had to put up with, particularly from the English media when his appointment was first confirmed at the end of 2000. Many thought it was sacrilege that the post of England manager could go to a foreigner. It was the biggest football story since Paul Gascoigne broke wind in Italy.
The inability to find an Englishman capable of managing the national side hurt the pride of a nation that invented the game. Even worse, the job was going to someone from a country that had hardly set the football world alight.
It sparked some parochial journalism. An irate Daily Mail columnist wrote: "We've sold our birthright down the fjord to a nation of seven million skiers and hammer throwers who spend half their lives in darkness."
A Sun editorial said bluntly: "What a climb down. What a humiliation. What a terrible, pathetic, self-inflicted indictment. What an awful mess." If readers were not convinced the Sun added: "The 5,000 locals in his village are as likely to take part in an elk hunt than watch a soccer match."
Even former England World Cup winner Jack Charlton was unhappy calling it "a recipe for disaster."
Eriksson bravely explained to critics: "You can't say no when you are offered the managership of England.'' But his most effective response came on the pitch. He passed the probationary period with some decent results that slowly began to win over his critics.
But the real test was to come. On Sept 1, 2001, England faced an away World Cup qualifier against the old foes Germany who were a formidable team. England fans were not optimistic.
It didn't start well and Germany were ahead after just six minutes. But England rallied with goals from Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard. The second half was simply amazing as England cruised to an extraordinary 5-1 victory thanks to an Owen hat-trick and Emile Heskey rounding things off.
Former German star Franz Beckenbauer admitted: "I have never seen an England team playing better. They had pace, aggression, movement and skill. It was fantasy football."
It was England's most celebrated victory since defeating West Germany in the 1966 World Cup.
The result greatly boosted Eriksson's popularity. The same tabloids that had been so critical over his appointment were now carrying headlines calling him "Svengali". The News of the World called Eriksson a "superhero".
The victory spawned several pop records including Sven Sven Sven by Bell and Spurling which reached No.7 in the UK pop charts.
His ensuing years as England boss were rather frustrating with a feeling of under-achievement considering the "golden generation" players at his disposal. The early promise was never really fulfilled in either the World Cup or European tournaments.
Of course Eriksson's career did not end with the England job. In 2007-8 he experienced a relatively successful season with Manchester City and in 2012 even had a brief stint as "technical director" with the Thai team BEC Tero Sasana.
Eriksson never showed much emotion on the touchline prompting the Guardian to call him "the manager who hid a flame inside his glacier."
What may be overlooked is how much nonsense Eriksson had to put up with, particularly from the English media when his appointment was first confirmed at the end of 2000. Many thought it was sacrilege that the post of England manager could go to a foreigner. It was the biggest football story since Paul Gascoigne broke wind in Italy.
The inability to find an Englishman capable of managing the national side hurt the pride of a nation that invented the game. Even worse, the job was going to someone from a country that had hardly set the football world alight.
It sparked some parochial journalism. An irate Daily Mail columnist wrote: "We've sold our birthright down the fjord to a nation of seven million skiers and hammer throwers who spend half their lives in darkness."
A Sun editorial said bluntly: "What a climb down. What a humiliation. What a terrible, pathetic, self-inflicted indictment. What an awful mess." If readers were not convinced the Sun added: "The 5,000 locals in his village are as likely to take part in an elk hunt than watch a soccer match."
Even former England World Cup winner Jack Charlton was unhappy calling it "a recipe for disaster."
Eriksson bravely explained to critics: "You can't say no when you are offered the managership of England.'' But his most effective response came on the pitch. He passed the probationary period with some decent results that slowly began to win over his critics.
But the real test was to come. On Sept 1, 2001, England faced an away World Cup qualifier against the old foes Germany who were a formidable team. England fans were not optimistic.
It didn't start well and Germany were ahead after just six minutes. But England rallied with goals from Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard. The second half was simply amazing as England cruised to an extraordinary 5-1 victory thanks to an Owen hat-trick and Emile Heskey rounding things off.
Former German star Franz Beckenbauer admitted: "I have never seen an England team playing better. They had pace, aggression, movement and skill. It was fantasy football."
It was England's most celebrated victory since defeating West Germany in the 1966 World Cup.
The result greatly boosted Eriksson's popularity. The same tabloids that had been so critical over his appointment were now carrying headlines calling him "Svengali". The News of the World called Eriksson a "superhero".
The victory spawned several pop records including Sven Sven Sven by Bell and Spurling which reached No.7 in the UK pop charts.
His ensuing years as England boss were rather frustrating with a feeling of under-achievement considering the "golden generation" players at his disposal. The early promise was never really fulfilled in either the World Cup or European tournaments.
Of course Eriksson's career did not end with the England job. In 2007-8 he experienced a relatively successful season with Manchester City and in 2012 even had a brief stint as "technical director" with the Thai team BEC Tero Sasana.
