'A SAD DAY' 🙏 Darren Bent Pays Tribute To Sven-Göran Eriksson After The Ex-England Boss Died Aged 76

um get your messages in about Sven uh there's so many people that have had fantastic interactions with him fans former players former managers you can text us 81089 and I'll read out some of the best of them obviously 18 trophies in his Club career manag the likes of Benfica Roma Fiorentina Sor Lazio then obviously England between 2001 and 2006 likes of notot County Ivory Coast so many uh management so many clubs that he managed and so many Fantastic jobs as well Darren Ben is with us as always here on on Drive Darren look you know the man well right you know what he was like as a personality obviously gave you your England debut as well against Uruguay remember that game at anfield what was he like though as a person yeah I mean listen first and foremost you you you know pay respects to his family friends um sad day for football um yeah I mean I've had discussions about s numerous times about getting left out of the 2006 World Cup but listen as as a person as a coach yeah really nice guy I mean you see the tributes that are pouring in for him the way that he spoke to you was very kind of heartfelt he almost spoke to you like he wasn't a football coach more like a like a friend or a grandfather or something but um it'll be sad it'll be a sad loss I mean listen he managed in some people's eyes probably the greatest generation of English Talent golden generation golden generation and he spoke about they probably should have won s in that period um but yeah it's a l it's a sad day um I know a lot of England fans will look at the the great work that that Gareth done and rightly so but I think in a lot of people's eyes they love that seven team the likes of Beckham Rio JN Terry Soul Campbell um they I think Michael Owen they they love that that particular era of English English football but again it's a sad day um first foreign manager as well to manage England as well got really close to winning certain tournaments just run into some very very good teams along the way yeah their gen like their version of golden generations and that's why when people say um about the golden generation and how they should have won something people almost forget about other countries the lacks of brazils and these teams who had the golden Generations themselves so but listen it's a sad day um I wish I wish him all the these family you know I mean all the best and their thoughts and prayers are are with us all and um yeah it's a sad day yeah it's weird because again you talk about car South they you bring bring him up briefly and a lot of sort of football fans and players as well talk about the way in which Gareth was able to bring sort of Harmony around an England squad obviously sven's job was a lot tougher because there was that division between United players and Liverpool players and Chelsea and Arsenal you were there how did he try and bridge that Gap cuz that couldn't have been easy because that would have been very tough as well to bridge you know he he didn't really try to do anything with it he just kind of I think what he he almost relied on was that these players and some of them are great players by the way I mean not some of them by the way all of them that they'd be able to figure out because that's what they could do um whereas as Gareth with the social media aspect in some respects it's almost easier to be able to bring them all together because they're all in each other's platforms they're all spending time with each other they all seem to be commenting each other's pictures so there's that almost interaction there but back then it was been a lot more difficult it would have been as easy as that so listen he's done a great job a really really good job as I said watching some of those performances I mean the 51 I think Germany it's the greatest one would be the one people always in Germany I was there at that Stadium a couple a couple months back just like it's not used for anything now I don't think but being there and just looking at how iconic it is how big it is incredible performance from England that night and that's one that I've been watching it was on social media early I've seen it on on the TV now but he will be Miss there'll be a lot of players in that dressing room I'm pretty sure did he make michelen Captain as well like there'd be a lot of players in that dressing room that would be really sad because he did a lot for them and as I said a lot of people have heard me talk about me not getting picked for the 2006 World Cup and yeah that will be one of the most disappointing things that happened to me but equally the greatest thing that ever happened to me was getting picked for my country yeah you know what I mean and he was the one who was responsible for that so for that I'm you I mean forever grateful because other managers i' only had one game in the Premier League properly for Chon other managers might have said he's not ready yet and not pick me but Sven was like no after one game he's good enough to be in the squad so for that I thank him thank him immensely yeah you forget as well how tough the job must have been as well I mean at the time first foreign England manager and um you're coming in off the back of Kevin Keegan who hadn't done well for England obviously England um had failed under Kevin and he's coming in as the first foreign manager and he wasn't wanted you know the push back of no no we need an English manager he's coming in very softly spoken I mean it's not an easy job to walk into like now you think of the England setup and it's perfect isn't it when anyone walking in now You' you've almost got it made for you back then it wasn't the case do you what though as well you think about and you said that he wasn't wanted but like which England manager who gets the job is yeah you I mean I remember the backlash when Steve McLaren got the job it was almost like what's going on here when Gareth got the job people was like what like he didn't do very well in why is he getting the job so but S as I said I think he did an incredible job yes there'll be comparisons some people will say G's done better some people will still say even though Sven didn't get to a final he did better with that England squad um should he have done better well can it's it's hard to say that because you you look at the what 2004 was it 2004 right Rooney gets injured yeah right so thatone is incredible yeah 2002 they come up against Brazil who in my opinion have got the best front three ever in raldo Ronaldo and Ronaldinho that three there is how are you supposed to stop that what you supposed to do what you supposed that you get beat by that so Portugal 2000 I think was it Portugal that beat them 20 32 so it's it's one of those where yes you can say about every England manager they could have done better there they could have done better there but I still think on the whole he did a good job F really good job some managers now we're so lucky because we see behind the scenes of sort of in the Chang rooms and um on the on the on the training pitches managers screaming and shouting and some managers almost just take a step back and let their assistants do it what was Fen like was he someone that kind of got stuck in got involved in training was he someone that would give you a all rickin if things weren't going well what was he like I can't remember too many rins from and doesn't seem like the kind of character does he for that yeah um and on the training pitch I mean it's it's a while ago now but it I almost feel like it was um more Stevie Mack Steve McLaren that was the coach and by E was a good coach but they worked in tandem um so Sven would obviously have his bits and he'd pull you aside quietly and say what he wanted from you and stuff like that but I'm pretty sure I can remember it was more Stevie Mack on the training pitch that was putting the sessions on as a collective but again it was um it was it was a nice environment to be in like I get it a lot of people speak about the the divide with the top teams and there was that divide because I mean at the time you're talking about man united Chelsea Arsenal Liverpool there was a hatred there was you I mean there was a real passion real energy there but still great guys and still in he still created a culture in an environment that I enjoyed going to that made me challenge myself because of how good these players were yeah indeed great stuff bety all right this is drive myself Ado you heard the voice there of Darren B remember you can get involved if you want to pay your tribute to Sven Goran Ericson we are going to be remembering some of these highlights in charge of the free Lions you can tell us about the time you met him as well 0371 7234 come and have you say you can text us as well 81089 talk sport drive with Andy Goldstein Monday to Friday afternoon from 4 on am on da via the talk sport app and on your smart speaker talk sport