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Hero of 1966 criticises current England boss

GEORGE COHEN: Believes Sven-Goran Eriksson has "lost his way" as England boss
GEORGE COHEN: Believes Sven-Goran Eriksson has "lost his way" as England boss

AN ENGLISH footballing legend has called time on England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.

George Cohen, right back in England’s 1966 World Cup world cup winning squad feels Bolton Wanderers' manager Sam Allardyce is the better man for the top job.

Speaking at a charity dinner in Tonbridge, the football hero said the Swede had "lost his way" in his direction of the team and was not hard enough in his management of top players.

Listing the catalogue of errors the Swedish coach had allowed in the current England side, Cohen repeated many of the criticisms laid against the England manager in his recent autobiography.

Cohen said the Swede’s tactics were "all wrong" and he critised Eriksson’s strategy of using players out of position. The England hero questioned how players could deliver results and play to their full ability when Eriksson substituted them on and off the field in 10 minute bursts of play.

In a final indictment of the Swedish manager, Cohen said 1966 manager Sir Alf Ramsey would never have tolerated the behaviour of the England players who debated a strike in protest of Rio Ferdinand’s suspension for missing a drug test.

Sir Alf, he said, "would never have let players hold their country to ransom.

"Ramsey, would have simply told the players 'not to play' and found 11 men who would."

The footballing hero, who lives in near Tonbridge, was given a standing ovation for his comments at the event which raised over £10,000 for the Kent Air Ambulance.

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