Manager changes surprise Eriksson
Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson admits he is surprised by the recent bout of managerial departures in the Barclays Premier League.
And the Swede, who has a wide experience of managing across Europe, believes English football is becoming increasingly like the game in Italy and Portugal.
Six top-flight bosses have already left their posts this season, with Steve Bruce moving from Birmingham to Wigan and Billy Davies departing Derby in the last week alone.
The former England boss told the club’s official website, www.mcfc.co.uk: “I’m not surprised (by the recent departures) because I’ve been working in Italy and Portugal for many years and it’s very normal there.
“But I am surprised because it’s happening in England. What I always thought was that English fans and directors are more patient than the Latin part of the world but we are becoming Latin here as well.
“(I’m) not talking about any specific team, but you know when things are going badly it’s very difficult to sack the chairman, very difficult to sack the players, so who is the third part? That’s the manager.
“I think football’s always been like that and you have to accept it in one way because if results aren’t coming, directors and fans want to see something changing for the better.”
City are looking to establish themselves as one of the country’s heavy-hitters since the arrival of Eriksson and owner Thaksin Shinawatra.
That is something the Swede would welcome as he believes managers at top clubs have more leeway than those operating at less prestigious ones.
He added: “If you see that the results aren’t coming and you risk dropping out of the Premier League, which is economically a disaster for any club, then a change normally happens.
“You have to have money and patience, so normally the big clubs keep their managers, even if things are so-and-so for a while.”
