Rommel instead of Eriksson

Terry Venables, the former England national soccer team coach who was appointed acting head coach of Middlesbrough, told the Football Association that the choice of Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson for the post of England head coach would lead to a split in the national team's playing style. He also noted that it would be very difficult for a non-English coach to manage an English team.

Eriksson led the national team of England instead of Kevin Keegan, after losing on Wembley to the German national team with a score of 0-1 in the qualifying match for the 2002 World Cup.

On December 5, 2000, Venables gave an interview to BBC "If Glenn Hoddle and Kevin Keegan worked well, then I would jump for joy. I would be nobody compared to Keegan. I do not think it's a good idea. This is the same, if we imagine now that we are in the war and we do not have a General. So, what's next!? - What is Rommel doing now? Is he free?"

Terry Venables himself was dismissed from the post of coach of the English team after losing from the same team of Germany in the semi-final of the European Championship in 1996, held in England, when the hosts of the tournament after the draw 1-1 lost to Germany in the penalty shootout with the score 5-6 in London at Wembley. Then the German national team won the European Champions title on the English fields, beating the Czechs in the final with the score of 2-1.