Victories over Austria and Poland in the space of 4 days might’ve been enough to put England atop UEFA Group 6 and ensure qualification for next summer’s World Cup, but the scathing criticism of England manager Sven Goran Eriksson is unlikely to cease. With that in mind, one of Ericksson ‘s countrymen has come to the rescue. From Friday’s Guardian.
A Swedish newspaper today launched an outspoken campaign to defend England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson from continued abuse in the English media.
The tabloid Expressen claimed the English press has not appreciated Eriksson’s true genius, leading with the headline, “Don’t touch our Svennis”. “They do not understand that he has turned a bunch of bone breakers on muddy football pitches into a World Cup team,” wrote reporter Tommy Schonstedt. “They cannot see that he has introduced tactical subtleties into the game and taught Beckham & co winning Swedish strategies.
“They really have gone too far now. We have had enough now. This means war now. The English should be bowing deeply and thanking Sven-Goran Eriksson. Instead they bully and mock him. But after yesterday we say: ‘Put that in your pipe and smoke it!'”
A supporting photograph in the newspaper showed Schonstedt demonstrating outside the British Embassy in Stockholm, demanding to speak to the ambassador.
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