Sven-Göran Eriksson was not the type of man who only cared about powerful people – he was interested in everyone he worked with, regardless of their status. Sven always made you feel you mattered; he had a great deal of class.
I worked closely with him (as the Football Association’s director of communications) during his time as England manager and he made an incredibly positive impact on my life and career.
That was in the early 2000s but I’d first met Sven in November 1995 at the official opening of Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium. The occasion was marked by a friendly against Sampdoria and, in my role as a junior media officer at Boro, I helped look after Sven and his team.
I was very conscious of Sampdoria’s status as not merely a top Italian team but one of Europe’s leading lights yet I came away from that game with unbelievably positive feelings. I was struck by Sven’s grace, by his friendliness, courtesy and helpfulness. He was an impeccably mannered gentleman.
Those qualities remained very much intact when we next met: over dinner at Sopwell House in Hertfordshire. It was 2001 and we were preparing for his introductory press conference as England’s first foreign manager.
Sven was relaxed, respectful, courteous and very intelligent. Despite all the mayhem surrounding his arrival from Lazio, the next day went like a breeze. Indeed during his entire time in charge of England I can honestly say we never had a cross word. Considering that his private life attracted quite a tabloid circus and there were some very difficult moments and situations that says a lot about him.
There were a few Friday and Saturday nights when I had to call Sven to discuss stories concerning his love life due to be published in that weekend’s Sunday newspapers. It wasn’t enjoyable for me and could be very uncomfortable. But however delicate the details I had to raise he never hid away, never lost his cool and never took offence. If a story was accurate he would decide the outlet didn’t need any comment.
If Sven felt he had the right to a private life, he was also utterly in love with football and treasured his job with England. That sometimes gets lost but it explains why in the middle of one “situation” with paparazzi camped outside his house in London, he insisted that we go and watch Charlton v Aston Villa. “I want to watch Gareth Barry play, Adrian,” he said.
Another time we were working in Germany but made a complicated journey to Belfast in order to watch the England Under-17s.
In the aftermath of the well-documented Faria Alam episode Sven and I travelled to the Netherlands to watch a pre-season tournament in Amsterdam. There were photographers and tabloid reporters everywhere and, on the one night without a game, I asked him what he wanted to do. “Have some dinner, Adrian,” Sven replied. Looking back it was surreal. Chris Kamara joined us, we went to a very busy Italian restaurant by a canal in the centre of Amsterdam and Sven sat there enjoying the conversation and wine while happily signing autographs for passers-by.
Under Sven, England managed to qualify for major tournaments very comfortably. It’s slipped a bit under the radar that of his three quarter-final exits one came against the eventual winners, Brazil (the 2002 World Cup), and two were on penalties, one against the host nation (Portugal in the 2004 European Championship).
He wasn’t a fearful coach and believed in getting the best out of players by offering them responsibility. He was gentle and believed in finding time to have a quiet word with them now and then rather than making a big show of things. He didn’t overload the squad with information or overburden them with regulations but allowed people to show their personality and did everything he could to create a happy, enjoyable atmosphere. Always capable of adapting to different situations, Sven didn’t allow himself to be blown off course by the noise surrounding players such as David Beckham and Wayne Rooney at that time. He never turned tetchy.
After he left England Sven and I were, by chance, in Dubai at the same time and my wife and I had a wonderful evening with him over dinner. As we enjoyed a glass of wine in the bar after the meal and people came over and talked to him you could see precisely why he was so popular.
The outpouring of affection, warmth and love towards Sven now is totally reflective of the person he was. I feel blessed to have worked with him.
Adrian Bevington is a former Football Association director
Source: theguardian.com
