‘A small boy in a big jacket’ – how Sven-Göran Eriksson made his mark

‘A small boy in a big jacket’ – how Sven-Göran Eriksson made his mark

Before his adventures abroad, the Swedish manager took on Europe’s top clubs with a team full of plumbers and electricians – and won

It was the autumn of 1980 and IFK Gothenburg had just been eliminated by Twente in the first round of the Uefa Cup when the board asked their young manager what was required to make progress in Europe. “I need three new players,” said a 32-year-old Sven-Göran Eriksson. “A goalkeeper, a left-back and a forward.”

The club could not afford the signings but such was the belief in Eriksson that several board members remortgaged their houses to free up the money. It was a huge gamble.

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