Public will forgive Eriksson if he is successful, says James

DAVID JAMES insists the public are prepared to forgive Sven-Goran Eriksson for talking to other clubs – but only if he is a success as England coach.

James believes Eriksson’s decision to pledge his future to England by signing a two-year contract extension is fundamental to the team’s chances of winning the Euro 2004 finals this summer.

The England goalkeeper accepts Eriksson’s right to listen to offers from other clubs, including not only Chelsea but also, apparently, Real Madrid and Inter Milan.

“As a human being, you’ve surely got to have options. Why not? This is a pressure job, the biggest job in the country, and if he’s looking at other things then that’s his right,” said James.

“It’s easy to understand that if the pressures were destroying your love for the game or your position, you’d seek another option. But he’s staying.”

James nevertheless warned: “It’s a performance industry. The only way anyone is going to be happy is if we’re successful.

“Even if he’d been to see every chairman in the country and we’re successful, it’s acceptable. If we’re not successful, I’m sure people will see it as the reason.”

Will Eriksson therefore face a backlash from England supporters? “With some of them, possibly, but with others not. It’s difficult to say,” admitted James.

The Swede only briefly mentioned the furore of the past few days when he greeted his players ahead of yesterdaytoday’s first training session for Wednesday’s friendly in Sweden.

“He said ‘you’ve got me for another couple of years’ and laughed which was a rarity!” said the Manchester City goalkeeper.

Above all, James is relieved Eriksson has finally ended speculation over his future, at least for the time being.

“My only concern, if there was one, was whether he’d still be there for the finals,” he revealed.

“In a tournament, we’re confident that, with him, we’ll get the right result. So it’s important to know that he will be there this summer.

“He’s the best manager I’ve seen for England. There have been more successful managers, of course.

“But he’s the best man for the job and you want to be playing for the best manager and the best coaches. If that’s not there, it makes the job that much more difficult.”