Sven's short but eventful stint here seems to have been written in the history books as unsuccessful by fans and journalists alike. I am here today to tell you that you are wrong and Sven was, actually, a good manager for us and helped to kickstart the greatest period in our history.
- When Sven took over, we were in a terrible state. Paulo Sousa had unsuccessfully tried to change the playing style to a more expansive, play-out-from-the-back style, differing significantly from Nigel Pearson's more direct approach between 2008-2010. The problem was that he couldn't turn Robbie Neilson into peak Cafu, nor Jack Hobbs into Gerard Pique. As a result, we struggled terribly and were in the bottom 3 when Sousa left (remember the 6-1 defeat to Portsmouth?). We could have been quite conceivably relegated to League One again that season without change.
- As soon as Sven became manager, results immediately turned around and we were comfortably mid-table by the end of November, looking at a possible play off push. If you look at this period in turns of 'turning things around', Sven was successful.
- The takeover by King Power needed a big name manager to increase the visibility and profile of the football club. Remember when we played Thailand in a friendly? Sven was a big draw for that game. Our home matches were shown live on Thai TV for several months during Sven's reign - you cannot say that he did not raise the profile of the club, and that helped KP's project for making Leicester a household name in Thailand.
- Some of the football we played during the 2010-11 season, and some of the results we had, was phenomenal. 5-1 vs Doncaster! 4-2 vs Millwall, Watford and Ipswich! 4-1 vs Barnsley! 4-0 vs Burnley! 2-0 vs Derby - twice! The football we played during this time was a swash-buckling joyride - it is genuinely one of my favourite periods for football alone.
- We signed some cracking players under him, especially the loan signings. Kyle Naughton, Yakubu, Diomansy Kamara, Ricardo....OK, the last one was a mixed bag, granted.
- It's the one and only time that signing David Beckham looked like it was a realistic possibility.
- In 2011-12, whilst the transfer window was a bit of a disaster broadly speaking, we did sign David Nugent and Kasper Schmeichel. The first scored goals that helped us win the Championship a couple of seasons later, and the latter became a club legend who helped win us both the Premier League and FA Cup. Neither of these signings happen under Sousa or Pearson.
- He gave Jeffrey Schlupp his debut, who was a part of our title winning squad. You can't argue with facts.
There you have it - the case for the Defence for why Sven was actually a good (not great) manager for us and played a key, but ultimately forgotten, role in the successful period that would follow.
As per OWF's suggestion, I am happy to open this out to other maligned managers who deserve more recognition for their time here. Anyone who says Brendan Rodgers will be blocked and reported.
Sven-Goran Eriksson was good, actually
posted on 29/3/23
I’d like to say I’m fully aligned with Mersey on this one. That’s right fully aligned! Sven was a high profile distraction. A Mandaric influenced appointment (he was still advising at the time) which oversaw a criminal recruitment spree that resulted in half of the players having to be cleared out
posted on 29/3/23
"I’d like to say I’m fully aligned with Mersey on this one. That’s right fully aligned!"
That's strange - your views are usually so wildly differing from each other
posted on 29/3/23
"Those signings were big names. Big wages. Big egos. And big flops. He created a squad of players but not a team.
Let me remind you:
Matt Mills
Michael Johnson (lol)
Michael Ball (bigger lol)
John Paintsil
Jermaine Beckford"
I'll give you the first four, Mersey, but I think it's a bit unfair to lump Beckford in. The guy clearly had quality and wasn't terrible for us. He dropped down a level to play for us and his 'bad attitude' seems to have only ever been something attributed to him when he was at Leicester. Pearson clearly wanted shot of him but I maintain that another manager could have got the best out of him - before you scream at me; yes, I know another manager might not have got us promoted, either!
"He left us in a mess and with us spiralling back towards relegation."
Not sure that last bit is true. From what I recall, we were mid-table and a few points off play offs when he was sacked. The 3-0 defeat to Millwall was the nail in the coffin but we had showed some signs of improvement against Southampton and Brighton prior to that. As we know, bedding in lots of new signings can take time.
"Sven did nothing but raise our profile. Everything else took us back 12 months…"
My view on this was that he was brought in specifically to raise our profile around the world. In that respect, he was successful - he made us a household name and it was that raising of the profile that was a key part of King Power's early blueprint for making us successful.
posted on 29/3/23
comment by BraveheartTyke (U6173)
posted 11 hours, 57 minutes ago
Just read that Craig Levein signed Iain Hume, he did well for Barnsley after we signed him when you were relegated. Wasn't the same player after Chris Morgan nearly killed him and got away without being disciplined.
Listened to him in a podcast last year and he had regrets about leaving Leicester. He would've been quality in League One, but so was Matty Fryatt at that level too if I remember correctly.
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I liked Hume. At times, he was the only player who seemed like he gave a toss about us. The head injury wrecked his career. Would've been interesting to see how he would have done for us in League One; Fryatt and Howard were a pretty strong partnership at that level so not sure how Hume would have changed that.
RE Levein - he was OK for us. Nothing more, nothing less. Came in at a tough time after Adams left and we had a really disjointed, aging squad of players that were using us as a pension pot. His signings, bar Hume and Kisnorbo, were pretty terrible, though. De Vries did one good thing against Spurs in the cup but was mostly awful.
posted on 29/3/23
RE Levein - he was OK for us. Nothing more, nothing less. Came in at a tough time after Adams left and we had a really disjointed, aging squad of players that were using us as a pension pot. His signings, bar Hume and Kisnorbo, were pretty terrible, though. De Vries did one good thing against Spurs in the cup but was mostly awful.
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I took a flight from Edinburgh to Spain just before Levein came to us and I was reading the back of the local Edinburgh paper. Levein was doing very well at Hearts and they were threatening to break into the top two and the paper was saying that Hearts desperately needed to tie Levein down to a long term deal amid interest from Leicester City.
I was very excited when he came to us but we all know how that turned out. Wasn't there a rumour that he'd come to Leicester with his best friend's wife or something and that had all gone pear-shaped. Could explain why he was so awful for us.
posted on 30/3/23
comment by Foxello (U6985)
posted 1 day, 6 hours ago
"I’d like to say I’m fully aligned with Mersey on this one. That’s right fully aligned!"
That's strange - your views are usually so wildly differing from each other
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99 and I always have full alignment on most topics. Just look back across all the threads and you’ll see this clearly 🙃
I agree that Sven raised the clubs profile at a time when we potentially needed it. But for me that’s the only possible thing you can say he did that benefitted the club. The rest needed undoing when Pearson joined.
What Pearson did was what all good managers should. Have a clear strategy that the club backs and build over 2-3 seasons. No high profile needed, just winning football to raise our status. That seems to work. What Pearson did for our club should be respected forever. For me he laid the foundations for our success and built a great working model under the ownership. It worked between them.
Rodgers also had a strategy but for me this has now become misaligned with the club and it’s why he needs to go. We’re pulling in different directions and we need a Pearson style rebuild again picking the next Pearson is going to be hard though - look how long it’s taken Man Utd to get it right. Look how long it took Liverpool!!
Anyway, back to Sven. He was pants. And so was Beckford imo. So overrated it hurt.
posted on 30/3/23
I’m tempted to align with Mersey on this one as regards Sven.
When Brendan eventually, to quote Simon Jordan “runs from the scene of the crime”, we could do a lot worse than tempt Nigel Pearson back for a third go.
Bet that will cause some unaligned views!
UTF🦊🦊🦊
posted on 31/3/23
Not knocking Pearsons role in transforming the club, he did a great job twice for us (although he was brutally exposed at PL level) - any ideas why he’s been so utterly pants at most other places he’s managed though?
posted on 31/3/23
Sven was a terrible manager for us. High profile but clueless about the Championship.
Levein was OK given the circumstances the club was in.
Terrific evening when we beat Spurs in the Cup, coming back to 3-2 after going 2-0 down if I remember correctly. Singing some Quo song at the end - maybe 'Rocking all over the World'?
Pearson was the right man at the right time, he built the foundations for the fantastic success we've had over the last 10 years. Always will be an LCFC legend in my view. He's doing OK at Bristol. I'd be a bit wary of bringing him back in to our club however, I suspect his time with us has passed.
posted on 31/3/23
comment by 99 Problems (Top - invest in the squad and sack Rodgers) (U12353)
posted 15 hours, 11 minutes ago
Not knocking Pearsons role in transforming the club, he did a great job twice for us (although he was brutally exposed at PL level) - any ideas why he’s been so utterly pants at most other places he’s managed though?
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It’s a great question and I think it comes down to simply being the right man at the right time. Pearson clearly needed Walsh and Shakespeare with him, and an ownership that backed his vision for sports science and a squad of hungry motivated players.
It worked at our club.
Since then I don’t think he’s ever had his full team around him or the infrastructure he’s wanted. So it’s been pretty poor.
Does it make his a good or bad manager? Neither, I think it makes him unadaptable with is what Rodgers is right now. So when the club and manager don’t fit anymore it’s time to go.