Sven's 90 Minute Exam

Filed in archive England on July 1, 2006

image: soccernet.com

Whatever you think about Sven (and Soccer-Weblog still isn't sure) it seems a little unfair that one match will determine his 5 plus years as England manager.

If Sven wins tomorrow he's the first boss since Sir Bobby to make the World Cup semi-finals. If he loses he's the inanimate Swede who could never get past the quarters.

The closest analogy is a high school exam. Five years of making friends with the popular kids (Beckham, Owen, Rooney) trying out various girlfriends (nancy, Ulrika, Faria) choosing your options (Lampard, Gerrard or both?) and being bullied by the bigger boys (Big Phil Scolari) all comes down to one 90 minute exam.

Good luck Sven.