Terry Pierce - Leicester may regret welcoming Cirque du Sven

Published: 05 Oct 2010 - 07:00:05

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There has only been one story dominating the football league headlines this week - Sven Goran Eriksson's latest return to English football.

The response - both of Leicester fans and the wider footballing community - has been mixed, with many critics suggesting it's rather reminiscent of his last job in England, at Notts County, and that Sven just follows the pound, accepting the best-paid job he can find.

The one thing that cannot be denied is that the Foxes are employing a fantastic coach and manager - one with a CV to match almost anyone in world football.

But I can’t help thinking they've made a mistake in welcoming Cirque Du Sven to their club, and deep down most City fans would agree that previous evidence suggests it's not the smartest of moves for the long-term benefit of the club.

Fair enough it's a coup, and chairman Milan Mandaric has found his club and his face splashed all over every major media outlet.

And if Sven's heart is in the job and - more importantly - he's assisted by his long-time ally Tord Grip then he may just drag Leicester back towards the Premiership and avoid the sack.

But let's be honest, neither of those two factors are likely to occur.

Mandaric recently brokered the take-over of the club by a Thai consortium, and the connection between Eriksson and Thai ownership immediately conjures up memories of his spell in charge at Man City under Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Prime Minister of Thailand.

But his time in charge at Eastlands could hardly be described as successful, while his time at County was even worse.

In fact, he hasn't done well anywhere since leaving England in 2006.

Eriksson is City's seventh boss since serial sacker Mandaric took control of the Midlands club, hardly the stable environment usually associated with success.

Mandaric had a hire-and-fire policy at Portsmouth, with some high-profile names falling victim, until he twice put his trust in Harry Redknapp, an experienced boss who knows the English game inside-out.

And, unfortunately for Sven and Foxes fans, he needs to find someone of similar ilk, someone who knows exactly what it takes to get a team promoted from the Championship.

Bonkers Basement a goal-fest again

For any neutral fan, League Two provides some fantastic value-for-money football.

Last season we had Cheltenham's incredible 6-5 win at Burton, and on Saturday there were two more outrageous results.

Chesterfield and Crewe shared the points and 10 goals in their 5-5 draw, while Accrington won 7-4 over travel-sick Gillingham.

So when you head to the bookies for your weekly accumulator this weekend it may be worth steering clear of the basement.