The Sven Year | City Studios Documentary | Sven-Goran Eriksson 1948 - 2024

hello hello how are you very well how are you thank I remember when I signed for City at the stadium outside when I go to my car it was a big support of Manchester City and he said to me just do two things beat United twice and we did it Manchester City win at Old Trafford this is a manager that's going to take us everywhere we're fantastic that will preserve the perfect start I just loved him I loved him from the off Med you her and City have turned it around there was a feel good Factor there and I think that was because of just him his personality and his style oh yes such a special goal by Michael Johnson oh that's electrifying fromo it's for midle because of the personality s was everybody wanted him to [Music] succeed that was a long time ago it was really late in the summer when Sven joined City it had been a really uncertain summer because uh there had been the Takeover really late in the summer take us to the champions league and win us [Music] it The Season's only been a matter of like 3 four weeks away when when they announced that Sven was was going to be the manager it' come off the back of um quite a tough season we hadn't scored many goals under the previous manager well City fans have had enough they're on their way another dismal home display obviously we all knew that St PA had gone and it was a shock when you think of swen's record he was very famous manager I think there was word that he could have had a choice of European clubs so it was a massive surprise at the time this was the England manager the England manager who was in charge of you know David beckhams Frank Lampard people like that so when he came to City it felt surreal because the club hadn't really had that sort of feel about it the way that the last 10 you finished you didn't really have too many reasons to feel hopeful but now all of a sudden there was a different feel about the club when he came in it was certainly an exciting place to be it was like a whirlwind it happened all it just happened in a matter of days they signed fan and then suddenly there were 10 12 new players arriving and it was all it was all just really fun we were very lucky to find those kind of players and even more lucky that they fitted in to the to to the team and very quickly we made a team of it and and they were great the players who came in I remember that famous press conference where they were all lined up and thought well I don't know you never heard of you never seen you before think I've heard of you you know the story was that Fen had watched a DVD of them and and uh sign them off the back of that and now I'm sure that isn't true but uh but it just kind of builds Into The Narrative of we don't really know what we're going to get this season [Music] opening day the season it was absolutely scorching the biggest thing remember is the kit the white Kit with the blue uh the blue section on it was absolutely [Music] stunning there was more expectation put on us now because we've been taken over there was more expectation on us because Sven was the manager you know Sven was the England manager so he'd have more eyes than you anyway and as a the first proper time where I felt like you know we should be winning this with the talent that we [Applause] have I remember it because I wasn't there and I couldn't watch it I was on holiday in Spain so all all we got was sitting watching Sky Sports News flick between all these games and not knowing what was going on at UPS and Par here's Alo two up ahead of it bian and Petro over to his left he's looked to go all the way around himself and it's in for bian a debut goal for the Manchester City man and Sven y Ericson's era in charge of city is off to a [Applause] fly I was surprised uh how how quickly they they they got into it the players we bought it's not easy to come to Premier League if you come from where whatever country you're coming from because it's different and it's tougher in England it's uh quicker everything who had a big part to play in the goal the man coming off and Giovani comes on to take his place for the last 10 minutes it was Chris kamaro at Upton park it never seemed to go back to him until the jav B go right at the end uh where he's just waxing lyrical about the Run by Neda Manu down the down the right flank know so I think I beat probably three players did a c turn right on the by line which sent somebody off the field but then the next touch was like 6040 my favor with someone I'll never forget he described the the the Poke back that anua did for Giovani to control and shoot and score um he described as his telescopic leg just want to St out the little telescopic leg drop to Giovani Giovani can Manchester City settle it they do you know for as good as that moment was I remember thinking afterwards I'm absolutely shattered it and I was going back to right back and I was playing against Craig Bellamy he said to me right if you don't try and run past me I won't try and run past you for the rest of this game and bear in mind I couldn't breathe at the time nor did I know him I thought he must be lying but he's a man of his word so five minutes was very [Applause] calm we absolutely hammered West Ham and West Ham had quite a good side at the time and although it was only 2-n it should have been much much more it was an incredible performance I remember it like it was yesterday very well you good to see again Spen how delighted are you very delighted of course uh first match in Premier League uh three three points away it's very good a lot of new players in and a lot of uh own players as well I think at a certain point we had five up to six Academy players coming from from their own club so it's very very good Johnson does have quick feet squeezes it through to Alano Johnson continues the Run Michael Johnson against Derby I mean the technique was incredible because he didn't just softly hit it he smashed it with the outside of his boot oh yes created and finished by Michael Johnson it was such a beautiful finish and I remember being right behind it my seat was in the north stand at the time and I was right behind it watching it curl in and I knew it was in before it' hit the net and what a way for the teenager to score his first goal in the Premier League it was the first goal I'd seen at home since New Year's day that was our first home win that year since New Year's Day it was now August and so it was it was time for celebration it was such an ecstatic feeling to to have broken that that hudo of not having scored at home and to have done it in such a way that it it was such a special goal and with a with a homegrown young player as well it's just the icing on the cap as they go into the Derby this weekend against Manchester United for once they'll be looking down on them in the Premier League table two games gone two successes Sven [Music] Wonderland we were positive you know there was no fear about we didn't fear man united they might have had the history but it felt like we were heading in the right direction United was still United at that point you know they the dominant Force but it felt like for the first time in a long time we closed the Gap well how much have you been waiting for this game it's the 148th competitive Manchester Derby and surely not for many many years as the blue half of Manchester wanted and relished this day so much we've gone into it thinking well it's all right beating West Ham and a half decent Derby side um by narrow margins but when you play The League champions it's a completely different ball game altogether so remember there's a lot again a lot of nerves but the atmosphere was so [Applause] [Music] loud there was so many derbies in the past where you think okay City might give a good account of themselves But ultimately they'll get beat because United are a much better team this one there was a bit of steal and a bit of gr and determination in there um and they dug in and I think that's what Sven was giving them in those first few weeks United are asking the questions at the moment through the middle again terz can Richard stop him again terz has done him this time to the right Richard recovers again brilliantly [Music] Richard dun and Michael Richards in particular were phenomenal mic and Donnie playing Center back that first three four months they were as good as anybody in the league Donny has played in so many Derbies and Michael was so Mo so young so motivated like desperate to beat man united so when you have those sorts of characters within that position it's like Thou shalt not pass by any means funny enough that Derby was probably for me m rich is his best ever performance for us Richard again beatsz lay off as well Johnson City expectations growing here Giovani has given City an amazing [Applause] lead did you goal like we we're winning against Man United and again it's one of our new players who's on a role he's looking and he's looking good we've got a lead we've got something to hold on to against United like I can't think of many times before that when we had that cuz we tend to go behind and the game would be [Applause] done it was an exciting time I think I think what vad Don has come in and give the team confidence for me personally being a city fan having years of seen City lose You're Expecting the worst so when the ball's drop into T as you're expecting the worst 90 minutes are up now it's through everyone and missed you can't guarantee just win games and control games you need a bit of luck and that te's moment was definitely there goodness me Carlos TZ seemingly had the goal at his mercy and once again he's put it wide that was the point of which I thought yeah they're going to win this cuz if that's not going in then nothing's going in today everyone in ready forward and that is the final whistle it's still 100% perfect for spener and Erikson and Manchester City are proudly at top of the Premier League this is a manager that's going to take us everywhere we're fantastic and to be so far ahead of Manchester United at this stage of the Season we're not bothered about Manchester United we're just bothered about Manchester City C we are going up and I'm over moon for the manager of theth for a it's Manchester City getting the awards Erikson Mah Richards suit be recognized all the one teenager in the Cityside who's been attracting plenty of Interest say Michael Johnson who has been stunning of late I remember hman DD hman he said that Michael Johnson is the best midfielder he ever played together with and that says a lot by Munich German national team and so on and he knows everything about football you don't need to teach him anything so when he said that then you understand it was great it's a terrific goal from a very promising young Midfield player for Manchester City Michael Johnson well Michael you're the bar man of the match today ask Diddy to hand it over please don't you cheers didy thanks very much cheers thank you we'd seen him the previous season under under Pace with some good away performances and he was at the heart of those and uh he carried that form on it was the way he glided across the turf I'm not old enough to remember Colin Bell but all those around us said he's he's he's hold gate he's running style the way he plays football is exactly like that he was getting compared to City Legends and he was was like his second season but in some ways it felt didn't feel controversial because that's how well he was playing Michael was the bar match n can you do the honors please well done Johnson I it was a pleasure there you go cheers fellas what up I think given the fact that he was somebody who came through the academy essentially and was doing as well as he was doing alongside some of the best brightest stars at the club had seen for a long time I you know it's special because he's at times he's playing back in Alano and Alano is one of the best players I ever played with he was phenomenal he he wasn't as involved as I as my memory suggested he was he only scored two goals that year which from memory I thought he scored a lot more than that um which which kind of says that of what I think about him at the time because I thought he was such one of the one of the pivotal players in that team this is a promising run from Johnson he was mature Midfield very clever skillful boxto box could everything he can do it all this boy a huge future ahead of him we knew there was something special there definitely and of course you know he chipped him with some real vital performances and really vital goals he was a phenomenal Talent um and I I think it was a real shame for the way that that season went for him with his injuries some years later I took him to uh to Leicester and I don't know something went not as it should have gone and he was not the player I knew since before unfortunately but when I had him in C he was he a great great great player and I thought he will be a very important play not only for City but also for [Music] [Applause] England must be a go going to try to the free kick deserves a goal talk about that Newcastle goal and I was right behind it and I was thinking right it's quite far out is he going to shoot he's not going to shoot is he I remember being s next to my dad and my dad just went he'll scool this and I was like n i I don't know anything about this guy so he might do he might not elano here for City oh what a h and then he does that and you go okay he's he's all right this kid electrifying from Alano he struck it and never went above the crossbar for 30 yards as it went right into the top corner [Music] oh my I was like oh my God cuz I think I've about the best view one of the best goals i' ever seen on a football [Music] pitch and now it's ELO is there nothing this boy can do we won last week and we won this weekend and playing good football we know that we're playing good football oh what a goal from Steven Ireland was fun i' forgotten that going to football could be fun man City retain the 100% home record it goes on to nine games the early home games of that season were just so excited and gave us such cause for [Music] Hope half of the Season we played brilliant football we got a position at Christmas time I think which was better than we [Applause] were wasino [Applause] [Music] for for the first time in a long time I felt you looked at the team you said that's a good team you looked at Alan said that's a really good player you look at Michael Johnson he's doing really well look at St all he's doing well you looked at Mike Richards he's doing well you know that season end up being like the rise of Joe har that was the start of cush Michael's career and stuff like this and that's just naming but a few of them it's two and two Daniel St things looked like they were heading in the right direction and I'd argue it's been a little while since that was the case so Old Trafford just about set for the 149th meeting of Manchester United and Manchester City on this the most special and poignant of days I think the game we played that United Old Trafford that was a very special game the buildup to the game is all about the supporters and how City fans would would behave 3,000 supporters of Manchester City because of the event it was the 50th anniversary of the immunic Care disaster uh and all eyes were on us what Sven did is bought a real and it's an overused term but he brought a real class to that event and he brought a real calmness uh and he represented City with such Pride was even called out by the opposition manager of that game and as it proceeded the fans were Immaculate uh uh Fergie was quoted as saying they were impeccable the fans of City they behaved extremely well the silence before the game I think everybody took their eye off the ball the fact that actually it wasn't going to be off the pitch where City spoiled the day it was going to be on the pitch where City spoiled the day and amidst this very special atmosphere there is a very important game all the talk TV whatever about how United are going to it's going to be a walk in the park city would just turn up we weren't in great form and then we score p drop in possession readying it through for Ireland the Vel I mean Vela his best to miss it it was like the second or third chance to to do it I think Ireland had just missed before him as well so they were trying their best not to score Vel at the second attempt Manchester City lead at Old Trafford a ground where they've not won for 34 years and it's dasas Vel and then we score again do okay this is unfamiliar and touched on and in benj on his debut scores in the Manchester Derby the performance was really good that first half the fael goal was slightly fortuitous um but the benjani goal also fortuitous but was great especially for the the celebration and City lead at the home of their greatest Rivals by two to [Applause] nothing myself Steven Island D knew that every time D scored to that point he'd never lost the game so we would in at half time and I'm sitting next to Stevie and we're both like just looking at each other looking at the ri two up at Old Trafford you're like say nothing but carry on regardless Ronaldo the second half was just we had 10 men in our own penalty area bodies back for Manchester City and gigs and TZ important intervention Don and dusted great defensive instincts [Applause] probably the first time as a city fan and City player where we really got under their skin and it felt fantastic right at the death obviously Carrick scored in like 90 plus three or whatever and I knew they were four added minutes so I was like there's no way there's no way there's enough time for a second a second goal so City have have pretty much done it they just need to do nothing stupid and they didn't do anything stupid Joe Hart's goal kick should be the final [Applause] Act Manchester City win at Old Trafford for the first time since 1974 and do the league double over United for the first time and even longer since [Applause] 1970 as much as it sounds over emotional the performance and the result was a reward to the supporters and their behavior and to the manager because he brought a real calmness and a real class to to the [Applause] club I remember when I signed for City at the stadium and after that leaving outside when I go to go into my car it was a older gentleman a big supporter of Manchester City and he said to me don't listen to the press that you have to take them to Europe or whatever it is just do two things he said beat United twice and we will be happy and we did it and I think we we maybe deserved it as well a little bit of luck you have to have and no it was good beat United yeah very good to be consistently good over the space of a year is very very tough you know you can have spells where you do exceptionally well but it tends to be the top four top six who tend to do it overall for the whole year and you know we we basically suffered because of the fact that we weren't we hadn't arrived the start of season felt like we had but the real we had [Applause] it I we can't look past the injuries that City had as well and I remember the back four at one point um they had three fullbacks in Alano as the back four and it's just like it was held together by sticky there's a reason why certain teams finish where they do and the Premier League it's it's a long old season a very very tough games and even though what you did well at one point doesn't guarantee the next point will go well for you what a wonderful foram comeback and their European dream taking the B it was a weird time because obviously the season hadn't ended that well and the Run of form had been Dreadful but a lot of the fans were very much behind him and and were were look this this guy gave us entertaining football in the first half of the Season he deserves the chance to turn this around get some new players in over the summer and and go [Music] again the wrangles of ownership are still going on here but Manchester city today taking that pressure off them because protests from their traveling fans about the impending departure of the very popular spor and Erikson sacked it seems by tax and chatra City's owner despite a guaranteed top 10 finish and City's best Premier League points total from a 38 Game [Applause] season we had as much respect for Sven as the players did and I think he was a really good guy who tried to change the the ethic of how City play and the way we play and I think nobody felt that there was actual reason to get rid of him other than the [Music] [Applause] chairman it was the first time in a while that I can remember the the fans really being against the club in that the club's decision in that sense I think a lot of fans were were quite vocal in going against that decision um because just purely for that first six months as Sven had been had been some of the best football they'd seen since Keegan's promotion [Applause] year the fans are desperate for an answer can you give them any sort of assurance that you will be in charge next season uh well obviously I can't I think after Sunday's the time to to talk about the future the future for now is um is midb away it's his career at Manchester City behind him the fans are certainly backing him around 3,000 marks on the city of Manchester Stadium yesterday around 20,000 have signed a petition the message is very very clear in terms of things which I was happy I was not involved in that game up in Middlesboro the funniest thing with it is is obviously city were chasing the European spot with the the fair play league we' said before the game it doesn't really doesn't matter what the result is as long as there there were no red cards there's no crowd trouble and immediately Richard dun sent off inside 15 minutes and there's there's protests in the stands because the owner is getting rid of the manager so we're actively doing our best to not get into Europe at this point so we had 10 men they were scoring with every shot they had alz that's a great goal from middle and you can say there are tons of reasons for it whether it's to do with say injuries or say people having the thing over the head where they know that this is the last game for the manager it's the last game of the season Shai again causing problems oh that is incredible that is a fabulous finish from St whil I was saying they went on strike I just think subconsciously thought it's the end of the season we're a man down let's see this out and meanwhile middlesbor just literally scored with every shot it could be and should be 4-0 to middlesbor could be more here it is that is another tremendous goal some of midles goals they'd never score goals like that again some of them were outstanding as was ours by the way from Alano there Alano oh look at that a response from Manchester City too little too late what another fabulous goal we as fans need to wear that match as a badge of honor the the reason is city are the only Premier League team that have scored eight in one game and conceded eight in another game it ends at the ET Manchester City eight Watford n it's Al for a hatrick it's eight for middles embarrassment for City it's a terrible result but it it's one that we should look back on and go look everything's turned out all right in the end let's let's look back and laugh at it for it to finish this way is just he deserves an awful lot better he's done a good job at Manchester City this [Applause] season Richard don't have to be in sent off and we lost the game 81 Donny was obviously apologetic but they knew that F lost his job and Donny thankks Fen for everything he' done for the club on behalf of all the players dny is somebody who wouldn't necessarily be standing up doing big speeches and stuff like this you know the players almost universally love the manager and I think that is a very very rare occurrence within football so I think I kind of summs up what he was like as a person I think we all felt all in the coaching staff that we did a rather good job not that bad to be SE we thought we bought players yes tax and invested some money but not huge money not to compete with the best but we did that at least half of the season and well I didn't think it was fair but when is football Fair what a chance this is for Manchester City it's a first minute goal we' scored goal he'd signed some really good players the form was dipping yeah but actually in relative terms we're in the top half of the Premier League that's you know in our history at that point that wasn't a normal thing we had no right really to remain in the top six all throughout That season short time I was there only one year but that was great and the fans they were fantastic the fan club full cry Spen was the most welcoming manager that I ever had I think most people ever worked with that immediately makes you want to do your job better oh it's on new it's a very fun season for me purely because of the change that it represented at at city at the time that's why he holds a a special place for me as a city fan and of course byest city today it's something different it's totally different from when I was there and city is one of the biggest clubs in the world today he was good for City at the time he was the right person for City at the time and I think he's got his place in City folklore because had we chosen the wrong manager it might have been that we might not be in the Premier League and then do we get taken over and the rest is history oh beautifully placed by the Manchester City man [Music] [Music] at lano's there again shooted [Music] [Applause] [Music]