Bloody hell - talk about getting fired up!!
Now my turn
. Looking at the facts, Sven is doing a very good job for a team that is not the best in the world, has only won one trophy and that was won on home soil. We have only lost three competitive fixtures, to the World Cup winners, the European Chamipionship holders and the home nation on penalties in Euro 2004.
Sven has ensured that we have moved on from the days of KK (Southgate in the centre of midfield, against Germany!?!), and are looking like we have an excellent chance of qualifying for Germany 2006.
2 games in, both abroad and against tricky opposition. Will Austria play with so much fire at Old Trafford/St. James Park/Anfield/Wherever when the packed crowd are fully behind England? Both should yield home victories, with the games away at Wales and Northern Ireland looking tricky as they will be derby games.
Seriously, sacking Sven would be a wrong move. He has brought stability, player togetherness and unity. Why remove him? Because he, as a single guy, has sex with a work colleague? How many people do that daily and what does this have to do with his ability to manage a football team - especially as this happened in the close season!!
He has also shown a willingness to make changes, with him taking a chance by dropping James and Smith for two unproven youngsters. People keep talking about dropping Beckham but previous England managers had to suffer the media demanding that Shearer be dropped, Robson is too injury prone etc. Looking back at these players suggests that the manager was correct to play them all the time, doesn't it?
All I am saying is to look objectively at where the England side is vs the media senationalism that surrounds the team. Having a poll for a donkey vs David James in goal - that is not journalism, football related critiscm or even a report on his private life!
Consider where England was before World Cup 2002: worried about even qualifying and beaten by the arch enemy 1-0 at Wembley.
After Euro 2004 and 2 qualifying games: hugely disappointed not to have beaten Brazil and won the World Cup, desperately unlucky not to beat Portugal in normal time and lost on penalties and again disappointed not to win Euro 2004. Also looking very solid for qualification (4 points from 2 away games - Poland and Austria must consider these dropped points).
England also in the world rankings at number 8 iirc.
Sven has moved England forward to the point where we feel that England should win every major tournament and when we don't the media response is ridiculous.
So, back to the point - can I have a "keep Sven and qualify" option?
