FA seem set to stick by Eriksson

Soccer Northern Ireland's win over EnglandSven-Goran Eriksson will still be England manager when the 2006 World Cup comes around, so long as England qualify.

Despite the national side's recent poor performances that culminated in Wednesday's night's dire 1-0 defeat by Northern Ireland, Eriksson will not stand down and the Football Association is to stand by its man.

"If we want to play at the World Cup, we all have the knives here," said Eriksson drawing a finger across his throat. "But I'm sure we will respond in a very positive way.

"I could not even dream of not qualifying for the World Cup. We have to win the next two games. Will I quit if we don't? We're going to win them - and that's it."

Brian Barwick, who joined the FA as chief executive in January, has ruled out hasty action. Eriksson sat close to Barwick during the flight back from Northern Ireland on Wednesday night but at no point was the England head coach's future discussed.

Neither will it be at their next formal meeting, set to be held in the coming days, during which Eriksson will give a debriefing on the results against Wales and Northern Ireland.

Barwick has a long-standing friendship with Eriksson, fostered during shared weekend air journeys from the north-west to London before he joined the FA, and his statements have been nothing but supportive of Eriksson.

"We are not naive at the FA," said Barwick two days before England's 4-1 defeat in Denmark.

"We understand the bigger picture. But I'm (planning) that Sven will work into the spring of 2006, through the World Cup and into the next tournament."

During the past 23 days England have lost to Denmark, to Northern Ireland and only scraped past Wales by a single, deflected goal.

They can still qualify for Germany, however, by winning their last two games, at home to Austria and Poland next month.

It is believed that the FA's international committee, the body that oversees England matters, has yet to discuss the issue of Eriksson's successor.

It is sure to retain him at least until next summer's World Cup finals unless England fail to qualify.

The England manager, who commands a £4 million annual salary, has told friends that he intends to see out his contract until it expires after the European Championships in 2008, in what could be interpreted as a gesture of defiance from one so highly paid.

Eriksson knows that the FA is burdened with the £757 million Wembley national stadium project, and that its budgets would strain under the weight of any multi-million pound settlement to compensate him were he sacked.

Furthermore, some at the FA feel that a concerted campaign is being waged against the incumbent because the media would prefer to see an Englishman in the post.

The comments of Charlton's Alan Curbishley yesterday certainly suggest that some leading candidates from the Premiership are already jockeying for position.

"Over the years I have been linked with a few things but nothing has ever materialised," said Curbishley in response to questions about what he would do if approached by the FA.

"Timing is everything, and we will have to wait and see what happens in the future."