‘Iceman Eriksson has removed the silliness’

Sven-Goran Eriksson’s calm approach has removed the ‘‘nonsense and silliness’’ surrounding the England manager&#146...

Sven-Goran Eriksson’s calm approach has removed the ‘‘nonsense and silliness’’ surrounding the England manager’s position, according to defender Gary Neville.

‘‘He’s the best manager in terms of handling the England position that I’ve known,’’ Neville said. ‘‘Nothing seems to faze him. He’s just calm, level-headed. In victory he doesn’t get too high and in defeat he doesn’t get too low. You never see him panic, fazed or angry. He’s the best person to be England manager.’’

The first foreigner to coach England, Swede Eriksson took over in January 2001. Under him England have lost just one competitive match, the 2002 World Cup quarterfinal against eventual champions Brazil.

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‘‘You get a lot thrown at you when you’re England manager, apart from the Prime Minister it’s the most high-profile position in the country, and he’s the perfect man for the job,’’ said Neville.

‘‘I hope people don’t take this the wrong way, but he’s removed the emotional thing that’s gone with England. I don’t mean he doesn’t care, because he actually cares passionately about this job and you can see that when he’s with us. But he’s removed the nonsense and the silliness that has affected some England managers over the last 10, 20, 30 years,’’ the long-time Manchester United defender said. (Reuters)