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BRANTWOOD BRANCH
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BELFAST
Welcome to the official website of
Brantwood (Belfast)
M.C.S.C. 
 
Members of the 
OSC Supporters Club .
 
 
ONE LIFE
ONE LOVE
ONE CITY
 
ONE CITY
On this website we will keep you up to date with all the events,meetings and club trips to the games.
 
Like all City fans we have been to hell and back but at the end of it we all love
 
CITY THE BEST TEAM IN THE LAND IN ALL THE WORLD
 
(Well in our eyes anyway)  

Elano: I won't fade

BRAZILIAN sensation Elano insists he won't suffer the same pitfalls that have dogged so many South American imports.

The Manchester City superstar has dismissed suggestions that his performances will tail off as the classic English winter takes hold.

Elano has been the find of the season so far - pivotal to Sven Goran Eriksson's revolution at Eastlands - and he inflated his growing reputation with a virtuoso performance in City's 3-1 win against Newcastle on Saturday.

The 26-year-old is convinced he can continue his form throughout the season - and having signed from Shakhtar Donetsk, he insists the weather holds no fear for him.

"I don't think there is much to complain about here," he said. "Don't forget, I lived in the Ukraine, with its harsh winters for three years."

While Elano seeks to assure City fans he has not reached his peak, Eriksson is adamant there is more to come from his side as a whole.

High-flyers

Victory over Newcastle keeps them in third place with 16 points from eight games  - but the former England manager says his high-flyers have yet to hit full stride.

"I think we will get better," he said, "The more we play and train together the better we will get because we can do more tactical work.

"The players are young and hungry and the new ones we have brought in love the Premier League.

"If we go on playing like that, I am sure we will have an excellent season."

City's hugely impressive performance was crowned by an outrageous free kick from Elano, which caught Newcastle keeper Shay Given by surprise - but not Eriksson.

"Elano is a great footballer," said the Swede. "He has to be to play such an important role for Brazil. If he wasn't, he would not get into the team.

"When he first came here, he was a long way off being 100%, but he is getting stronger and every time he gets the ball, you have a feeling something will happen."

Sven's boys top class

SVEN and his men will continue their hush-hush approach to life in the top four.

The Blues boss reckons he has not had to ban talk of European qualification because his players are so focused on the old adage of one game at time that they have never mentioned it.

But the smiling Swede was forced to admit that the 3-1 hammering of Newcastle, a fifth home win on the trot, might just have raised expectations.

Eriksson accepted that his team's win over Newcastle was their best display this season.

"What everyone saw on Saturday was what I saw on Thursday, I knew the players were in great condition and I am just delighted that they reproduced it on a match day," reflected the manager whose side remained in third position - four points ahead of Chelsea.

"Sometimes you can drive away from training concerned about one or two little things but I had no worries before this game. It was a top class performance and I am happy for the players and for the fans. I am sure they like what they see and that is important.

"If you are a fan you like your team to win and to play good football and that is exactly what we did do.

"It is not possible to do that every week but we have generally played well at home so far this season.

Creative
I wouldn't say we dominated the game but we created by far the better chances. I felt we didn't deserve to fall behind but we showed our character and that was particularly pleasing."

Brazilian Elano was the star among stars against the Magpies and it led to a hefty tribute from the normally verbally cautious City chief.

"It is impossible to hit a free-kick any better than that," said a beaming Eriksson. "A centimetre either way and it hits the bar or the post.

"Elano is a great footballer and I still feel he can do better. He can do a little bit of everything. I have worked with other top-class creative players in the past; people like Baggio and Mancini and he is right up there with them."

Eriksson revealed he spoke to Brazil coach Dunga - who played under the Swede at Fiorentina - before making his £8m move for the 26-year-old.

"When he came here, he was not physically 100 per cent, he was far away from that" said Eriksson. "That is all he needs to work on because you certainly don't need to teach him how to play football!

"Just like the fans do, every time he gets the ball I have the feeling something will happen."

Even nearly a quarter of the way through the season however, Eriksson is still refusing to predict how high his side might fly this season or set public targets.

"Maybe expectations are raised but in the dressing room no one is talking about qualifying for Europe or anything like that but instead we prefer to concentrate on one game at a time," he declared.

"The great thing is that our confidence is growing with each week and I am sure the fans' is too."

Logan loaned to Grimsby


CITY youngster Shaleum Logan has joined Grimsby on a month's loan.

Logan made his senior debut in the Carling Cup win over Bristol City in August and was then handed a second first-team appearance by Sven-Goran Eriksson when City beat Norwich in the next round of the same competition.

Now the 19-year-old, one of the many academy graduates to force their way into the City line-up, will further his footballing education at Blundell Park as the Mariners look to pull away from the lower reaches of League Two.

Sven states Blue values


IT has been used to represent a political party and hijacked by rap lyricists across the globe but Sven-Goran Eriksson is determined to restore the word `respect' to its original usage.

The Manchester City boss is adamant that his success as a manager can, to a large degree, be attributed to treating his players and staff with the esteem and consideration that they deserve.

It is man management at its most simple and yet most effective, while the number of domestic trophies he has snaffled in his club career coupled with the Blues' best start to a season for a generation or more is testament that the Swede knows exactly what he is doing.

"If you do not have good team spirit you will lose everything and maybe that is the most important thing of all," he mused as the Premier League took time off during the international break.

"I talk a lot about it to the players. It was one of the first things that I mentioned to them the day I arrived here. If you don't have that spirit in the group and you lose one game then it is very difficult to bounce back.

Spirit

"If you do have it then it is OK and you can handle one, two or three defeats.

"Maybe we have yet to face that test, although we lost to Arsenal and Blackburn in successive games and the players were very good in bouncing back the week after.

"The spirit here is very good and that is what we want to keep.

"There are no tricks to fostering that spirit. I think it is all down to how you treat people.

"When they come to work they must work hard but in a happy way not in a boring way. The base to it all is how you treat people. I have to show respect to them and they have to show it to me, the coaching staff, the kit man, and the cleaning staff - everyone who is involved in making City a great club.

"If you lose that respect then it is the start of bad feelings in the group. Football is like life itself. If you are a father, which I am, how do you treat your children? You explain to them how to prepare for life but you try to do it in a civil way and not a bad way.

"All managers have different ways of bonding their squad. I use mental experts when necessary - we have done it at City - but I am not one for canoeing or going up in the mountains.

"We are together so much that I believe that when the players have a free day they should see other faces not mine or those of the coaches.

"They should be with their families."

Philosophy

Eriksson reaches his 100th day in charge this weekend and so far his methods and philosophy have served the Blues, and their supporters, well.

He admits that he has been surprised by how quickly everything has come together and the impressive start his side has made, though he is still not making any predictions.

"If you had told me before the start of the season that we would have played nine games and been third in the table then I certainly would have taken it," he declared.

"It is perhaps a little bit surprising even to me, the team, the fans and all the football experts but now we just want to carry on in the same manner and not start talking about targets.

"We want to make sure we carry on playing the kind of football we have been doing lately. Momentum is a great thing.

"I was personally afraid of the match that we played on Sunday against Middlesbrough because I thought it was one of those occasions when, after Newcastle, everyone was speaking about us and expecting us to win," he added.

"But I thought we did very well and I congratulated the boys because they were up to the expectations."

It wasn't just the wonder goals from Elano or the flowing movement that pleased Eriksson most but rather the bits of the game that go unnoticed or unheralded.

"Football is not just about when you have the ball it is about keeping your shape and discipline when you do not have it and being aggressive in trying to win it back we have been good at all those things too," he concluded.

"Those things are easy to forget when you are playing well and winning but the players did those things well at the weekend and have done all season."

Happy Eriksson adores fans

LOVE-struck Sven-Goran Eriksson can't get enough of City's fans.

The Blues manager admits he has been overwhelmed by the welcome he has received since he moved to Manchester.

Eriksson celebrates 100 days in charge this weekend and admits he has seldom been happier.

The Swede, not prone to hyperbole or exaggeration, believes the backing for his newly assembled team has been as good as he has experienced anywhere, including the footballing hotbed of Rome.

"The City fans treat me very well and you can understand that because they like what they see from the players," he said after steering the side to a fifth straight home win in the Premier League - as many as they managed all last season and the best for 33 years.

"We have been doing well at home and we feel the club is moving forward on and off the pitch and the supporters have responded to that.

"I knew the fans had a reputation as being among the best but I feel they are fantastic the way they back the side. I would say they are incredible.

"Time is flying and when you're enjoying yourself it is great.

"The fans like what they see because we are playing attractive football and that is what they want.

"I like what I see and hear. I love them.

"The stadium in Rome when I was manager at Lazio held 80,000 and the atmosphere for derby games was incredible but it is similar in Manchester."

And Sven he can't wait to renew acquaintance with his Blue fan club in two weeks when Birmingham visit Eastlands.

"Last time we went into an international break it was a long nine days because we had lost at Blackburn," he recalled.

"Now we have played more good football, taken six points from our last two games and everything looks positive.

"I just have my fingers crossed that they all come back safely and uninjured from their games for their countries

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THESE ARTICLE'S ARE TAKEN FROM www.bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk
UNITED LIES

United fans have been calling City fans 'the liars' for a few years now, but Bluemoon has decided to expose a few myths about them.

Utd are the biggest club in the world.
Utd took a million to Barcelona.
All their fans know all the words to the flowers of Manchester, they sing it before every match, every time.
All Utd fans are cool socialists.
Utd have the most loyal and hardest firm in the world. The cockney reds all come from Manchester.
Utd fans are so cool they never wear colours ever (the fact they sell 4 million shirts a week is irrelevant)
Utd have the BEST stadium in the whole world.
Utd fans NEVER sing about death as they know only too well how it feels.
All the famous bands and musicians in Manchester support Man United. All of them. There are no embarrasing celeb fans, they are all cool. They ALL come from Manchester.
All Utd fans have the first Stone Roses Album (Ltd edition of course)
All Utd fans know the words to "One Love"
All Utd fans were at Spike Island, it was their special day.
There are no Utd fans in Stockport, and definitely non in London.
They are not in any way bothered about City which is why they never ever spend most of their matches singing nursery rhymes about us.
There are no City fans in Manchester. Not one, they all come from Stockport.
Eric Cantona is the best player in the world ever.
United have never received government aid to build the swamp (except for the full rebuild of the cantilever stand before the 66 world cup).
You just can't get a ticket for Old Trafford
The train to London Euston is never full of United fans. Ever. Never seen one.

BLUE HUMOUR

Two boys are playing football in the park when one of them is attacked by a rottweiler. Thinking quickly, his friend rips a plank of wood from a fence, forces it into the dog's collar and twists it, breaking the dog's neck. All the while, a newspaper reporter who was taking a stroll through the park is watching. He rushes over, introduces himself and takes out his pad and pencil to start his story for the next edition. He writes, "Manchester City fan saves friend from vicious animal." The boy interrupts: "But I'm not a City fan." The reporter starts again: "Stockport County fan saves friend from horrific attack." The boy interrupts again: "I'm not a County fan either." The reporter asks: "Who do you support, then?" "United," replies the boy. So the reporter starts again: "Rag bastard kills family pet...".

A Manchester United scout returns from Bosnia raving about a new teenage superstar he's seen in the war torn country. Alex Ferguson is convinced and is so desperate for no one else to snatch him up that he signs the boy without looking at him for himself. The boy arrives in Manchester for Saturday's game, and is on the bench. With ten minutes to go Solskjaer gets injured and is stretchered off. Ferguson points to the new Bosnian boy: "This is your big chance, son. Go out there and do the business for us". The lad strips off his shell suit and takes to the pitch. In those dying minutes he's a revelation, scoring a hat trick. The crowd goes mad. After the game Ferguson gives the new boy a big hug in the changing room."Great performance son. Go and give your parents a ring at home. They'll be so proud of you. You can use the phone in my office". The lad goes into the boss's office and rings his mum. "Mum, I've just had the best debut; I scored a hat-trick!...you don't sound very happy though; why are you crying? Is everything okay?" "No, son, today has been the worst yet. Your dad has been shot, they've raped your sister, and the house has been burnt to the ground." "God, mum, that's terrible; I'm really sorry". "So you should be. It was your idea for all of us to move to Salford."

A man is walking his three-legged dog on Platt Fields and finds a lamp which he picks up and removes the cork. Out pops a genie who says "Thank you for releasing me from the lamp, O Master. I have the power to grant you one wish - anything you desire". The man says "Can you make my dog win Crufts?" but the genie says "What, with only three legs? Wish again!". So the man thinks for a while and asks "Can you arrange for Diego Forlan to become a top international striker then?" to which the genie replies "Let's have another look at that fucking dog".

Once upon a time in the Kingdom of Heaven, God went missing for six days. Eventually, the Archangel Gabriel found him, resting on the seventh day. He inquired of God, "Where have you been?" God sighed a deep sigh of satisfaction and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, "Look Gabriel, look what I've made." Archangel Gabriel looked puzzled and said, "What is it?" "It's a planet," replied God, "and I've put Life on it. I'm going to call it Earth and it's going to be a great place of balance." "Balance?" inquired Gabriel, still confused. God explained, pointing to different parts of Earth, "For example, North America will be a place of great opportunity and wealth while South America is going to be poor. Over there I've placed a continent of white people and over there is a continent of black people" God continued, pointing to different countries. "This one will be extremely hot and arid while this one will be very cold and covered in ice." The Archangel, impressed by God's work, then pointed to a small populated area in the land of Great Britain and said "What's that?" "Ah," said God. "That's Manchester, the most glorious place on Earth. There's a beautiful river, glorious parks, and buildings, and great music. The people from Manchester are going to be modest, intelligent and humorous and they're going to be found travelling the world as ex-patriots. They'll be extremely sociable, hard-working and high-achieving, and they will be known throughout the world as diplomats and carriers of peace." Gabriel gasped in wonder and admiration but then proclaimed, "What about balance, God? You said there will be balance!" God replied wisely, "Wait until you see the lazy, arrogant, bastards I'm putting on the other end of the M62."

United have signed a new centre forward from Kabul United FC. Apparently on his first day at training, Ferguson picked up a ball and said: "Ball." Then he pointed at the goal and said: "Goal." Then he demonstrated a kicking motion and said: "Kick. Understand? Kick, ball, goal. GOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLL!" The Afghan striker was a little puzzled by this and summed up the courage to say "Excuse me, Mr. Ferguson, but I speak very good English." To which Ferguson replies: "Sit down, son. I'm talking to Giggs."

David Beckham dies and enters the Pearly Gates, God takes him on tour. He shows Beckham a little two-room house with a faded united banner hanging from the front porch. "This is your house, David. Most people don't get their own houses up here," God says. Beckham looks at the house, then turns around and looks at the one sitting on top of the hill. It's a huge three-story mansion with white marble columns and little patios under all the windows. City flags line both sides of the driveway and a huge City banner hangs between the marble columns. All the way up the drive are huge statues of great City players from history. "Thanks for the house, God. But let me ask you a question. I get this little two-room house with a faded banner and Shaun Goater gets a huge mansion with banners and flags flying all over the place. Why is that?" God looks at Beckham seriously for a moment. "That's not the Goat's house", God says "That's my house."

A City fan and a United fan get into a car accident. Both cars are totally demolished, but amazingly neither of them is hurt. After they crawl out of their cars, the City fan says, "So you're a United fan, that's interesting. I'm a City fan... Shit! Just look at our cars, there's nothing left, but fortunately we are unhurt. This must be a sign from God that we should be friends and live together in peace for the rest of our days." The United fan replied, "I agree with you completely; this must be a sign from God!" The City fan continued, "And look at this - here's another miracle. My car is completely demolished but this bottle of whisky didn't break. Surely God wants us to drink this and celebrate our good fortune." Then he hands the bottle to the United fan. The United fan nods his head in agreement, opens it and takes a few big swigs from the bottle, then handing it back to the City fan. The City fan takes the bottle, immediately puts the cap back on, and hands it back to the United fan. The United fan asks, "Aren't you having any?" The City fan replies, "No. I think I will just wait for the police to turn up..."

A man receives a free ticket to watch Manchester City. Unfortunately when he arrives at Maine Road he realises the seat is right at the back of the stadium. About halfway through the first half he notices an empty seat 10 rows from the pitch, right on the halfway line. He decides to take a chance and makes his way down to the empty seat. When he arrives, he asks a man sitting next to the empty seat "Excuse me but is anyone sitting here?" The man says "No". "That's incredible... Who in their right mind would have a seat like this and not use it?" he says. "Well, the seat belongs to my wife," says the man, " But she passed away. This is the first game we haven't been at together since 1967." "That's really sad," says the man,"But couldn't you find a relative or friend who wanted the seat?" "No" came the reply "They're all at the funeral."

A young diehard City fan, who also happens to be a devout Catholic, goes to Rome with his mum. His big desire is to speak to the Pope. His mum tells him that the Pope will be doing a run round Rome in the popemobile the next morning and that he should wear his City shirt as the Pope is a big football fan and may stop to talk to him if he sees his
football shirt. Next morning the lad is decked out in his City shirt and gets a place right at the front of the crowd. As the Popemobile approaches it slows down and his heart starts to pound, but his excitement turns to dismay as it passes. The dismay turns to despair as the Popemobile stops further down and the Pope gets out and talks to a young lad in a United shirt. The City lad, overcome with grief goes back to his hotel with his mum and cries all night long. When he awakes in the morning he sees a United shirt on the end of his bed. His mum comes in the room and says that he should wear it when the Pope does his tour of the City that day, to catch his attention as he obviously knows United from their European exploits. The boy remonstrates and says he could never wear a United shirt, but eventually his mum convinces him it is the best way to get to speak to the Pope. So sure enough the little lad wears the shirt and pushes his way to the front of the crowd. This time as the Popemobile approaches his heart pounds as it slows down, and this time stops. The Pope gets out and approaches him, leans forward, puts his hand on the lad's shoulder and says "I thought I told you yesterday, fuck off back to London."

Schmeichel: I'll be back

NO sooner had he been handed a new four-year contract than young Kasper Schmeichel found himself dropped from the Blues first team.

For some it might have been a time for foot stamping but for the rapidly maturing young Dane it was instead a moment for reflection, to pledge to work harder and cheer on his best pal Joe Hart.

City's 3-3 draw at Fulham ended 20-year-old Schmeichel's seven-game run in the Premier League but it is unlikely to be the last Blues fans hear of him this season as the three-way battle for one goalkeeping slot continues to rage.

Articulate, intelligent and forthright, Schmeichel took his bad fortune in demotion on Saturday against Newcastle in the same calm way that he accepted his luck at leapfrogging Andreas Isaksson and Hart into the spotlight in the first place.

He has learned greatly from the experience of keeping four clean sheets in seven attempts and playing a full part in the City revival under Sven Goran Eriksson and is rightly pleased with his contribution.

"I have been here six years now and I feel I have progressed in each of those," he declared with some justification. "That is all you look to do and see how far it takes you.

"Things have progressed nicely. The loan spells I had last season were great for me in terms of furthering my experience. Going to Bury and Darlington teaches you things.

"One of them is how good you have it as a player at a club like City where everything is laid on for you. When you come back you realise how much effort and work is put in by people behind the scenes at City to create the right environment.

Chances

"I came back this summer not knowing what was going to happen. Obviously Nick and Andreas had played last season and Joe had made his debut but there was a new manager and new owner," continued Schmeichel.

"Nick then left and I was lucky that Andreas - unluckily for him especially after what happened to him last season - suffered an injury. I still had my contract here and it was all about waiting to see what happened. It had crossed my mind that I might have to go out on loan again.

"We got the best possible manager we could have got. I respect him deeply. Pre-season went well in Sweden and I felt I was progressing. Under Stuart Pearce it was Joe who got the nod over me but this time I was given the chance and so far I have taken it. Luck does play a big part in these things.

"As for getting back in the side, all I can do is work hard, train as well as I can and then perform to the best of my ability when it comes to matches."

Schmeichel was as pleased as anyone that Hart and the rest of the team hammered Newcastle on Saturday and offered a glimpse of the kind of spirit that currently exists in the City dressing room.

"Of course there is rivalry between the keepers but Joe is probably my best mate at the club if not in general and a brilliant goalkeeper," Kasper.

"We always help each other when we can and when he pulls off a great save I am the first to acknowledge that. I suppose that's something peculiar to goalkeepers. People talk about the `union' and there is a special understanding between us because we are always the first to get blamed when something goes wrong."

FOR the full interview and Kasper's forthright views buy a copy of the official City Magazine out now.

Welcome Modern

Dear Sven

IGNORE the sniping and the lampooning that has accompanied your return to English football, for there is no doubt that Blues fans broadly and warmly welcome your arrival.

They are excited by your plans to bring household names to the club, by your determination to drive it back into the top tier of the Premiership and your realistic approach of not promising too much too soon.

Your decision to acquire a house in Manchester has gone down well too and it would have been a big mistake not to relocate to a city that is as vibrant as any in the country and growing rapidly.

I know you have a lot on your plate at the moment but I would urge you above all else to engage with City fans as much as possible. Meet and greet as many as you can, do not shut yourself off behind the fences at Carrington.

If you do so you will find that there is a huge amount of goodwill awaiting you.

I know from speaking to you on other occasions before you became manager that you have always been struck by the passion and sincerity of City fans and amazed by their numbers and loyalty given the club’s lack of trophies over the past 30 years.

You would do well to tap into that energy and desire and you will find that City fans whilst always having an innate scepticism that is born of having to endure so many broken promises and false dawns down the years, are as fair a bunch of fans as you could wish to work for and with.

There will be a few, and only a few, who will want you and Dr Thaksin to fail just so that they can say ‘I told you so’ but the overwhelming majority are right behind you and wish you nothing but success.

The fact that season ticket sales have soared since you took over should tell you that there is a great excitement and optimism in the Blue half of Manchester that the club might at last have the resources and manager to challenge the other team in town.

You will find that City fans do not take too kindly to their neighbours dominating the English game and if you were to fall out with or annoy Fergie now and again it certainly wouldn’t count against you in the popularity stakes.

Winning the derby in the first week of the season would make you and your new players instant heroes.

Fans at City have a good idea what to expect from you. They watched closely during your tenure as England manager, a stint that had its ups and downs but in terms of results was not as bad as the harshest critics have suggested.

Blues supporters, who couldn’t really care less about your colourful private life so long as the team is playing well, know you are not going to emulate your predecessor by spending most of your time during matches in the technical area cajoling and shouting.

They have seen already from your press conference announcing your arrival that you have the necessary professionalism, passion and commitment to the job. In fact, my friends from the Swedish press who have followed you since the successful days at Lazio tell me they have never seen you so animated and excited by a challenge.

Apart from the boost to your bank balance, your year off must have done you a power of good.

In terms of expectations for this season you should know that City followers are clever and astute enough not to expect a top four or even top six finish in the Premiership.

They have waited 30 years for success and another season will not make that much difference so long as you build them a side of which they can be proud.

The key word there is ‘proud’ because the fans’ pride has taken a battering over the years and last season’s failure to score at home in the league from January 1 until the curtain came down was the last straw.

Supporters have noted with interest that you are already singing the praises of the Academy and that your great friend Tord Grip will build new bridges to Platt Lane.

That is what the fans want to hear for whilst they will welcome with open arms expensive, international purchases they also set great store by bringing through ‘their own’.

They like nothing more than seeing what you called ‘home grown’ players coming through the ranks and you must try and continue that trend whilst spending the £50m that Dr Thaksin has promised.

Other managers in the recent past have promised much, spent a great deal and delivered nothing more than shattered dreams. The fans of Manchester City don’t deserve to be let down so publicly again.

Bring some attacking pace and entertainment to the side and you will be on the way to a lasting love affair with a great club.

You have already said that you simply wish to be judged on results during your time here and I can assure you that you will be.
 
Above article taken from Manchester Evening News written by Chris Bailey.

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Sven-Goran Eriksson

Information
Date of birth: 05/02/1948
Born: Torsby
Role: 1st Team Manager

Sven-Goran Eriksson becomes Manchester City’s first overseas manager as he resumes a highly successful club coaching career.

The 59-year-old was born in Torsby, Sweden, and played for Second Division clubs KB Karlskoga and Degerfors until injury curtailed his career in his late twenties.

Eriksson took up coaching almost straight away and saw Degerfors promoted to the Swedish First Division before moving to IFK Gothenburg in 1979.

  • IFK Gothenburg – won Swedish cup in first season. Won domestic double and the UEFA Cup in 1982, beating Hamburg 4-0 on aggregate.
  • Moved to Benfica in 1982 and won the domestic double in first season. Retained championship next season.
  • Left Portugal for AS Roma in 1984 and was in charge for three years, bringing the Coppa Italia to the Olympic Stadium in 1986.
  • Managed Fiorentina from 1987 to 1989 before returning to Benfica. The Portugeuse giants were runners-up to AC Milan in the European Cup a year later, but won the Portugeuse league title in 1991.
  • In charge of Sampdoria from 1992 to 1997, winning the Coppa Italia in 1994 with a squad that contained David Platt.
  • Moved to Lazio and masterminded a period of great success for the Rome club. Domestically, the pinnacle was winning the Scudetto and the Coppa Italia in 2000, having already won the cup two years earlier.
  • Under Eriksson, Lazio were also the last ever winners of the European Cup Winner’s Cup, beating Mallorca 2-1 at Villa Park in 1999. They then went on to win the European Super Cup later that year, beating Manchester United in Monaco thanks to a single goal from Marcelo Salas. Lazio had reached the 1998 UEFA Cup final but were runners up to a Ronaldo-inspired Inter Milan.
  • Eriksson is unique in that he is the only manager to win the league & cup double in three different countries.
  • After taking over as England manager early in 2001 he turned the national side’s fortunes around, with qualification for the 2002 World Cup including the famous 5-1 thrashing of Germany in Munich.
  • Guided England to the final stages of three consecutive major tournaments – the World Cup in South Korea and Japan in 2002, Euro 2004 in Portugal and World Cup 2006 in Germany – where they made to the quarter finals each time.
  • In his time as England manager the national side rose from 17th to 5th in the FIFA world rankings.

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