Sven's end nigh as Curbishley tipped to step in
If Eriksson was expecting sympathy as he battles to clear his name over the PR shambles that accompanied his affair with FA secretary Faria Alam, he is not getting it.
With the League Managers' Association keeping out of a dispute they believe has caused more damage to the English game, only trusted assistant Tord Grip has so far spoken out on his behalf.
On the other side, former England international Phil Neal has already called for Eriksson to be sacked, while Curbishley, unwilling to discuss the Swede's position after spending the last fortnight on a pre-season tour in China, did claim the intrusion into his private life that the England coach finds so distressing should be an accepted part of his £4million-a-year job.
But it's Charlton director Derek Ufton who has really upped the ante, claiming their long-serving manager would be free to quit The Valley should the FA come calling.
The bold admission is bound to attract the attention of senior FA figures, who are becoming increasingly fed up at the almost constant off-field controversies surrounding Eriksson, especially as the England side he is paid so well to coach has done no better than reach the last eight of both the World Cup and European Championship.
It intensifies the pressure on Eriksson, who is due to meet Thompson early next week ahead of Thursday's special meeting of the 12-man executive board which is expected to determine his fate.
In the wake of the statement issued by Thompson on Tuesday that exonerated chief executive Mark Palios from any blame for the 'misleading statements' about Eriksson's relationship with Alam, yet failed to mention the Swede himself, it is widely anticipated that if the 56-year-old is found to have lied over the issue, he will be charged with gross misconduct and probably sacked.
That could give the FA a way round their dilemma of knowing Eriksson is entitled to a massive £14m pay-off as part of the four-year contract extension he signed last April.
The Swede, whose affair with Ulrika Jonsson was exposed last year and also had his supposedly secret talks with Chelsea over their manager's job blasted all over the front pages, has previously admitted the intrusion is one of his dislikes about the post.
Yet Curbishley, along with Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren, another contender for the post, believes it is a situation that anyone taking the job has to accept.
"If you take that job, you have to realise what it entails and what is expected," he said.
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