Soccer: Eriksson backs Cole man to deliver

Sven-Goran Eriksson is backing Andy Cole to finally end his England goal drought in the World Cup qualifier with Finland.

Cole had claimed that Eriksson was the first coach to fully support him at international level and that others had "spoken a lot of rubbish".

The Manchester United striker was adamant that he would deliver the goals for his country if he was given the chance to settle into international football after winning just 11 caps spanning six years.

Now Eriksson has given a public show of that belief in Cole by claiming he can end his barren run against the Finns.

He said: "Andy Cole, of the strikers picked, ought to be a very experienced player with playing in the Champions League every second week.

"He is scoring at the highest level for Manchester United, so why shouldn't he do it for the national team? I can't see any reason why not. "