SVEN GORAN ERIKSSON
At the time, England were rooted to the bottom of their World Cup qualifying group, having lost 1-0 to Germany and been held to a goalless draw in Finland, but Eriksson picked up the pieces and - thanks largely to a stunning 5-1 win in Germany - guided England through to the finals in Japan and South Korea.
His appointment was greeted with mixed emotions amongst the English public. Many applauded the decision of appointing one of Europe's top coaches, but there were some who doubted the FA's choice and the fact a number of English coaches had been overlooked. Indeed, FA chief executive Adam Crozier received death threats from far-right extremists disturbed that he, a Scot, had offered the England post to a foreigner.
Eriksson was born in Torsby, Sweden on 5 February 1948. He enjoyed a relatively short playing career as injury forced him to retire at the young age of 28. It was then he took his first steps into coaching when he took charge of Swedish Third Division side Deghefors and guided them into the Swedish top flight with two successive promotions.
In 1979, Eriksson took charge of IFK Gothenborg, leading them to the Swedish Cup in his first season. More success was to follow as Eriksson guided his team to the Swedish League and Cup double and then the Uefa Cup in 1982, the first time the Swedish side had tasted success on the European stage.
Eriksson's achievements had not gone unnoticed on the continent and he accepted the manager's job with Benfica shortly after his Uefa Cup triumph. In two years, Eriksson won the Portuguese title twice and led them to the Uefa Cup final in his first season, where the Portuguese side lost 2-1 on aggregate to Anderlecht.
The following season, Benfica reached the quarter finals of the European Cup where they lost to eventual winners Liverpool, but Eriksson ended his association with the Lisbon giants for a role with Roma.
In his first season, Eriksson guided the club to seventh place in Serie A and followed that up by finishing runners-up in his second season. His disappointment of missing out on the Scudetto was compensated somewhat as his side lifted the Italian Cup.
The following season was a disappointing one for Eriksson as Roma crashed out of the European Cup Winners Cup at the quarter final stage and finished seventh in Serie A. Eriksson was promptly sacked by the club at the end of the season, but he was not out of work for long as he took over at Fiorentina in 1987.
However, it proved two difficult years for Eriksson as he led the Florence outfit to seventh and eighth place finishes respectively in his two years in charge.
He ended his first spell in Italy in 1989 and returned to Lisbon where he again acquainted himself with Benfica. The good times returned for Eriksson as he led the Lisbon giants to the European Cup final in his first season, but it was to end in disappointment for the Swede as they lost 1-0 to AC Milan.
The following season, Eriksson's Benfica lifted the Portuguese league title before he returned to Italy to take over at Sampdoria in 1991. He stayed with the Italian side for five years where he led them to the European Cup final in his first season. Sadly, it was to end in more disappointment for Eriksson as a Ronald Koeman free kick eight minutes from the end of extra time ensured Barcelona of a 1-0 win at Wembley.
Sampdoria finished in third place in Serie A in 1994 and success in the Italian Cup the same year saw Eriksson faced with another chance to win a European trophy. It was to end in further disappointment for him though, as his side crashed out in the semi-finals to Arsenal in a penalty shoot-out at Highbury.
His five years in charge of the Genoese outfit - the longest he had spent at any one club - ended in 1996 after a disappointing eighth-placed finish. He said his goodbyes before taking over the reigns at success-starved Lazio in 1997.
The Roman side finished fourth in his first season, but a disappointing seventh-placed finish had the critics baying for his blood the following year. Under severe pressure, Eriksson responded by taking Lazio to the top of Serie A and building up a seven-point lead over Milan. However, the campaign was to end in more disappointment for the Swede as he saw Milan claw their way back before winning the title on the final day of the season.
The 1999/2000 campaign did see Eriksson finally lift the Scudetto - Lazio's first for 27 years - but a European adventure in the Champions League saw the Rome club crash out at the quarter final stage.
Hopes were high that Lazio could compete on all fronts in 2000/01, but the season got off to a bad start for Eriksson when the Italian giants - one of the favourites for the tournament itself - bowed out of the Champions League at the first hurdle.
Rumours were rife that Eriksson was being considered by the English FA to take over as national team coach following Keegan's shock resignation, but the claims appeared to be refuted when Lazio president Sergio Cragnotti insisted Eriksson would be staying in Rome.
However, the English FA got their man after Eriksson agreed to take over the reins in the summer of 2001. The English FA were not so keen though, with vital World Cup qualifiers against Finland and Albania just months away.
Lazio made a poor start to the defence of their crown though, and with uncertainty surrounding the future of Eriksson, he decided to quit in January 2001 and take up his current role with the FA.
