ERIKSSON LANDS ROLE AT NOTTS COUNTY

Notts County have pulled off a football coup by persuading the former England coach Sven Goran Eriksson to join the club as director of football.

Eriksson will team up once again with his long term assistant Tord Grip who assumes the role of general advisor.

Eriksson will take up his new role with immediate effect and will also be a shareholder in the club while his pay will be determined by the success of the team on the pitch.

The 61-year-old, who spent five years in charge of England, was sacked as coach of Mexico in April. Most recently, he’d been linked to a return to the Premier League with Portsmouth.

Speaking about his appointment, Eriksson told the club web site:

I am particularly attracted to this role and the unique opportunity to help build a club over the longer-term. I will be responsible for all aspects of the football side of the club and in line with the aspirations of the new owners, wish to build the club at the heart of the community.

I started my football management career at a small lower division Swedish club and we managed to get them into the top-flight. I can think of no better challenge than to attempt to do that again, but this time with the world’s oldest football club, where we can add to a proud tradition and hopefully bring some richly deserved success.

I could have gone elsewhere and earned more but I’m here for the challenge.

I always wanted to come back to the Premier League because it is the best League in the world.

I have chosen a little bit more of a difficult way to do it. It will take some years, but after speaking to the chairman Peter Trembling and the investors, I am sure we will do it.

We are starting from the bottom of the bottom and trying to take it to the top. Hopefully that will happen.

I don’t know League Two at all but I have discussed with Ian McParland what we need.

To start with we have to find good players, without good players we can’t reach League One and the Championship and so on.”

Eriksson started his managerial career in lower-league football with Degerfors in Sweden and insisted he was not naive about the size of the task ahead.

It is going to be different but I look forward to that. I started as a player at this level – and here I am again.

The dream and the target is to reach the Premier League, for the fans, for the club, for everyone.

Eriksson, 61, will work alongside current manager Ian McParland with the aim of getting promoted from League Two “as soon as possible”.

Sven’s previous teams

Degerfors 1977-78
IFK Gothenburg 1979-82
Benfica 1982-84
Roma 1984-87
Fiorentina 1987-89
Benfica 1989-92
Sampdoria 1992-97
Lazio 1997-2001
England 2001-06
Manchester City 2007-08
Mexico 2008-09