Source: Daily_Mail
Sven hits the jackpot again... will this man do anything for cash?
Sven Goran Eriksson's curriculum vitae is certainly lengthy and lists some of the world's most prestigious football clubs.
Now it includes the oldest in the Football League.
But the latest addition does not trip as easily off the tongue as those that read like a global Who's Who of glitter and glamour.
In the money: Notts County are set to offer £2m for Sven Goran Eriksson's services
Benfica, Lazio, Roma, Sampdoria, Fiorentina and, of late, Manchester City - not to mention England and Mexico - conjure impressive images of power and prestige. But Notts County?
What the League Two club invoke is little more than sepia-tinted memories of near-forgotten glory days along with the real threat of closure due to financial hardship in the not-so-distant past.
For all the goodwill and heroics that Dixie Dean, Tommy Lawton and Jeff Astle provided during their times at Meadow Lane, there has been precious little of national importance to raise excitement levels since the Second World War. Until now.
As if throwing down the ultimate challenge that the club's new billionaire owners need to be taken seriously, they have brought in one of the most high-profile and controversial managers in the world.
It is not so long ago that Eriksson was lording it in Soho Square as the England boss - and getting into all sorts of problems with his private life. Indeed, the smooth Swede was as much a front-page fixture as he was on the back pages. Money and women were huge attractions.
Sven Goran Eriksson
Sven can you start? Eriksson is certainly mobile
There were salacious revelations over FA secretary Faria Alam, the stack-heel shoes outside hotel rooms as he had an affair with fellow Swede Ulrika Jonsson while cheating on partner Nancy Dell'Olio.
Then there was the 'fake sheik' sting in which he admitted he was prepared to quit England to be £5million-a-year manager of Aston Villa in a takeover. And, of course, all the time, as he moved from woman to woman and job to job, Eriksson was trousering plenty of compensation, including £3m when he stepped down from England.
As recently as last week, Zenit St Petersburg were seeking a successor to former Rangers boss Dick Advocaat and the Swede's name was high on the wanted list.
But, to put everything into perspective, on Tuesday his new charges were at Arnold Town, in a suburb north of the city, taking in a pre-season friendly.
So why have an internationally-renowned group of well-heeled Middle Eastern businessmen chosen Eriksson to be the director of football at a club about which he knows either nothing or very little?
First, he's available. Secondly, it is believed no time commitments are required. And what better way to get publicity for your club?
True, Eriksson may have a reputation for following the money. But if the former England boss has agreed to jump on the bandwagon for £2million a year in a consultancy role, who else might be persuaded by a sight of the pot?
The enormity of the news had not struck home in the East Midlands. There was no mention in Nottingham's evening newspaper and no huge group of fans at the ground.
Only a couple of TV trucks were parked outside. A solitary security guard patrolled the entrance. Against the combined forces of the national press this lunchtime, he is going to need reinforcements.
The atmosphere was one of incredulity. For those fans who have been drip-fed a diet of doom and gloom over the past decade, it was little wonder. Nobody, it seemed, was prepared to take the news on face value. People either couldn't, or wouldn't, believe it and opinions on the message boards were mixed.
The writing's on the wall: maybe this wild boast will come true
The writing's on the wall: maybe this wild boast will come true
'He could be a massive difference when we are trying to bring in a player,' wrote one. 'It's a great chance to raise the profile,' ventured another.
The next was brutally honest: 'He's a pretty mediocre manager but his reputation and contacts will do us no end of good.'
But Glenn Rolley, chairman of the supporters' trust had no qualms.
AND IF HE'S BORED...
● The city is reputed to have three women for every man. Just saying.
● The Nottingham Panthers, in case Sven gets homesick for a spot of ice hockey
● Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem. Famous inn dating back to 1189 and an idea for his next job once this experiment fails.
He said: 'I'm ecstatic. I've had to pinch myself. I feel like we're in Disney World now. We have a vision of success.
'Appointing Sven will reverberate around the football world. I can only compare it to when Notts County signed Tommy Lawton from Chelsea in 1949. He was England's No 1 centre forward. This is comparable. This is a proud day. It's quite romantic really. In fairness, I'd be a lot happier if we had signed two centre forwards. If Sven could get David Villa here, now that would impress me.'
Howard Wilkinson, who until two years ago was on the Notts board, greeted the news just as warmly.
'It will be great for Notts County's standing,' he said.
'It'll give them loads of publicity and raise their profile. Sven has a great deal of experience at all levels of the game.'
Finally, there is one statistic about Nottingham Eriksson may be very interested in. In fact, it may well have been a deal clincher.
Apparently, the women outnumber the men three to one in the city. The Swede will probably have fun finding out if this indeed is true.
