Thaksin Shinawatra's brutal criticism of Manchester City
manager Sven Goran Eriksson has prompted fears that the former
England coach may walk out on the club this summer. Eriksson's
survival prospects at City would appear to be diminishing after the
club's owner chose a business conference in Dubai to confirm
yesterday that he will review the Swede's position at the end of
what he clearly feels has become an unsatisfactory
season.
Sportsmail first revealed Thaksin's frustrations on April 1,
when it became clear that the former Thai politician was unhappy
with two aspects of Eriksson's first season: namely results and
attendances at the City of Manchester Stadium. And, after another
round of criticism by Thaksin yesterday, Eriksson may choose to
jump before he is pushed.
Just weeks after Thaksin said he was paying a visit to his club
to 'tighten the bolts', the 58-year-old went several steps further
yesterday by hitting out in a way that has concerned executives at
City. Thaksin said: 'I'm not happy with the performance of the club
in the second half of the season. 'We will look at it at the end of
the season and assess the club and the people involved. We will
probably have to sell some players and buy some new ones. 'We need
some defenders, midfielders . . . midfielders are the key. We have
some good players but we need more.'
If Eriksson ends up being sacked by Manchester City this summer
he will receive a £1million pay-off — less than a year after
receiving a compensation package from the FA worth almost £4m.
There is no doubt Eriksson was stunned yesterday by Shinawatra's
announcement that his position would be assessed at the end of the
season. This leaves the 60-year-old former England coach in an
increasingly invidious position at the City of Manchester
Stadium.
So far, Eriksson has not raised the possibility of quitting with
anybody at the Barclays Premier League club. Both publicly and
privately the 60-year-old has stressed that he sees his work at
City as a long-term project. He has enjoyed his first year, an
experience that he has told friends and colleagues has left him
feeling invigorated after the stresses of managing England. But as
it slowly becomes clear to both him and City executives that
Thaksin wants tangible success at a click of his fingers, there are
real concerns that Eriksson may walk away.
Despite City's problems on the field in recent weeks, Eriksson
will end this season with his reputation enhanced. He will
certainly not be short of offers from the Continent if he does
choose to seek alternative work. And if that did happen, few people
at City would blame him after the carnival of the last few
weeks.
Eriksson, for example, spent much of last week fending off
questions about Thaksin's pursuit of the Brazil superstar
Ronaldinho. The City manager has never wanted Ronaldinho and also
knew — if only from experience and instinct — that the 28-year-old
would never move to the club when suitors such as AC Milan were in
the offing. However, he still had to answer questions on the
subject for a week as Thaksin and his countrymen on the board
worked themselves into a lather of excitement after agents had
suggested to them that Ronaldinho may be attainable. That
particular story is dead now but it is important simply because it
is indicative of the atmosphere in which Eriksson is increasingly
having to work.
It is easy to see why City took Thaksin's money when he bought
the club last year. There were, after all, no other firm offers for
a club who desperately needed proper investment. However, there
were risks attached and City are beginning to experience the
flipside of selling their club to a man with no knowledge of
football and a complete inability to relate to the wants and needs
of those who pay through the gates every weekend.
It says everything for Thaksin's lack of savvy and football
intelligence that he chose to make his disparaging comments about
his manager on the very day that his club were gearing up for one
of the highlights of their season, a second leg of the FA Youth Cup
Final.
Meanwhile, the issue of money for new players is another key one
for Eriksson, who would himself be paid £1m by City if he was to be
sacked. Despite Thaksin's persistent claims that the team are not
good enough, nobody from the chief executive down to the manager
yet knows how much cash, if any, the owner is preparing to spend on
players this summer.
Little wonder, then, that some at City are beginning to despair
of Thaksin already and, in particular, of his aides and board
members Pairoj Piempongsant and Tawesuk Jack Srisumrid. Senior
experienced figures at the club must have been embarrassed by the
Ronaldinho business, just as they will be embarrassed about this
latest saga. They will counsel Thaksin against sacking
Eriksson.
Like most of their supporters, they feel that the long-term
future of the club is in safe hands under the pragmatic,
unflappable Swede. But the problem is that they may well not be
asked. As clubs like City, Liverpool and, to a lesser extent,
Chelsea are finding out, wealthy foreigners do not buy football
clubs to be told what to do. They buy them to fulfil fantasies, to
make money or, in Thaksin's case, to satisfy political agendas.
Sadly, coaches like Eriksson are disposable and vulnerable. If
the Swede did not sense this before this week, then he certainly
will now.