Football: ANDY GRAY COLUMN: Let's hope Sven rides out this storm

BEHIND every great man's success there is a good woman, or so they say. Behind the downfall of every great man there is very often a woman scorned.

I just hope we are not about to witness the downfall of Sven Goran Eriksson as Ulrika Jonsson spills the beans on her affair with the England manager.

If the revelations are simply about the affair then he will ride the storm, albeit a little uncomfortably.

He'll get more of a rocket from Nancy than the powers that be at the FA.

What happens in his love-life might make interesting reading but it doesn't affect his ability to manage England. The players couldn't care less what he does in his private life as long as he leads them to success.

If there are things that involve private football matters which he passed on to Ulrika during a bit of pillow talk then that, if you'll pardon the pun, is a different ball game.

He could be in trouble and England may well have to look for another manager. I am talking about his assessment of players he has worked with, his opinions on the ability of those players and diagnosis of their character.

All those things should remain private and not be passed on to a lover who then tells the world in a best-seller.

Anything concerning other teams, managers, his employers or jobs he may or may not have been offered which is put into the public domain without the permission of the people involved will be seen as a betrayal of confidence.

Once you have lost the trust of the players and other key people in the game then it's time to get yer coat.

Books and England managers don't mix - just ask Glenn Hoddle. The fact that Sven hasn't written this one doesn't really matter.

He appears to have the leading role in the plot, although one or two players and ex-players are apparently shifting uneasily as speculation about Ulrika's apparent passion for sportsmen grows by the hour.

Even if he denied everything in the book, everyone knows that if you throw enough mud some of it is going to stick. I hope Sven survives this because he has done a lot of good work for English football.

His management style is refreshing and apart from a hiccup in the World Cup he has achieved a lot and given England's young players self-belief.

I would be absolutely gobsmacked if the FA fired Eriksson over the book, but if Sven feels it invites more intrusion into his private life and that of his family he might just walk away.

He must have realised that being England boss means you sacrifice your privacy, and he has already admitted he brought this on himself, but he might decide to return to Italy where private lives stay private.

We will have to wait and see what develops over the next few days but if there is no betrayal of football in this book then he should be allowed to get on with his job.

It really would be a shame if he is denied the opportunity to take England all the way to the European Championship and then have another crack at the World Cup in 2006.

Interview: STEVE McKENLAY

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