Sven Goran Eriksson has managed four international teams to date but, out of nowhere, he’s in line for a fifth.
Despite the 70-year-old living the life in the Philippines, in charge of the national team in the Pacific, Paddy Power have slashed the odds on the Swede becoming the next Ireland manager.
With Martin O’Neill leaving the post after five years in charge, Mick McCarthy was put in as the bookies’ favourites but he was joined by five other coaches in the race to replace the outgoing Derry man.
Suddenly though, before lunch time on Wednesday, Sven Goran Eriksson’s odds dropped and dropped as short as 10/1, making him third favourite by Paddy Power’s reckoning.
Sven began his management career 41 years ago when he began in Sweden in 1977.
He has since taken four teams in the Serie A, managed England for five years and had stints at Leicester and Manchester City.
Ericsson always said that the English public would miss him when he was gone, such was the apparent lack of appreciation for the job he was doing with the team from 2001 to 2006.
He had an unsuccessful spell with Mexico, leaving the post after 10 months, and despite taking three different clubs in China in the last five seasons, has failed to deliver a league title since he did it with Lazio in 2000.
He was in charge of the Ivory Coast for just five games and is now presiding over matters in the Philippines.
Sven Goran Eriksson now into 10/1 (from 66/1) for the Ireland job. Here he is reading Scottish Twitter. pic.twitter.com/zsKrX9cV2t
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) November 21, 2018
