Manchester City have identified Luiz Felipe Scolari as
the best candidate to be their new manager after Thaksin
Shinawatra's ruthless decision to pay off Sven-Goran Eriksson. A
network of some of the more powerful agents in the business has
already begun the process of luring Scolari to England after he has
coached the Portuguese national team in this summer's European
Championship.
With Eriksson reluctantly accepting that his three-year contract
is being ended after barely 10 months, and with supporters planning
protests at Sunday's game at Liverpool, City's trigger-happy owner
has insisted he "will find the best solution for the club".
High-ranking City executives are still hoping to dissuade him but
Thaksin did not become the prime minister of Thailand without
making tough and unpopular decisions. Eriksson, for one, has given
up hope and can expect compensation of £1m.
The Swede was said to be "very unhappy" but he is unlikely to be
out of work for long. Benfica is one possible destination but he
would rather stay in England and will monitor what happens to Avram
Grant at Chelsea. "If the right job comes along in England, Spain,
France or Italy, and it's a really good club with a chance of doing
something, he will be there," his agent, Athole Still, said last
night.
Eriksson's impending departure has dismayed the vast majority of
City's supporters as well as the chief executive, Alistair
Mackintosh, and the vice-chairman, John Wardle, but Thaksin is
unrepentant, insisting City will be better off with Scolari and
that the club were treading water under the current manager.
Scolari, who came close to succeeding Eriksson as England's head
coach two years ago, has already stated that he will end his role
with the Portuguese football federation after Euro 2008. He is
fully aware of City's interest.
Personality-wise, Scolari is also about as far removed from
Eriksson as possible. The Brazilian is famous for his temper and,
if he accepts the position, it remains to be seen how he will get
on with a man as autocratic and impatient for success as Thaksin.
City lie ninth in the Premier League and Thaksin has repeatedly
stated that he would be satisfied with a top-10 finish, but those
now look like hollow words.
"It's true what people are saying," Tord Grip, one of Eriksson's
assistants, said when asked if they would be leaving City. "Why?
Well, they probably think that the job we have done is not good
enough. They say we have done a bad job. We believe we have done a
good job but I don't think the owner has shown enough patience.
This has happened so fast. That's what this is all about -
patience."
City released a brief statement, saying: "Dr Thaksin Shinawatra
recently stated that there would be a full review of the club at
the end of the season. The situation remains the same. Sven-Goran
Eriksson, the players, board and staff of the football club are
fully focused on the two remaining games of the current
campaign."
Eriksson said only: "The chairman and I spoke at the weekend but
I do not wish to comment any further. The game with Liverpool on
Sunday is most important and we are working very hard to prepare
properly for the trip to Anfield and our final game at
Middlesbrough."
Privately, however, he will admit to disappointment. "Thaksin
made some comments about being dissatisfied with the team and
indirectly with the manager. Sven was very unhappy about that in
the sense that, if there was dissatisfaction, it should have been
discussed internally first and not in the media," said Still.
"If Thaksin was going to give Sven his ringing support we would
have heard it over the last couple of days. I could be wrong; I
hope I am wrong, because there is a job half done here and I have
no doubt that if Sven were left to manage in the way he manages and
to select his own players he would have been challenging for the
Uefa Cup next year, or maybe even higher."
Still insisted Eriksson would not resign. "The only thing I can
say with assurance is that Sven will not be walking. You walk if
you feel you have done a bad job and are not worthy of the
position, and in Sven's case that is very far from the truth."
