Is the long honeymoon over? Thaksin v. Sven

It’s been, in many ways, a remarkable ride for Thaksin Shinawatra since his takeover at Manchester City last summer. His decision to hire Sven Goran Eriksson as well as the outlay on players paid unexpectedly immediately dividends on the pitch during the season’s opening months, winning both Sven and Thaksin the enthusiastic support of a large majority of City fans. Things were going well in Thailand too, with the victory of Thaksin’s former political associates in the December election, followed in late February by Thaksin’s own return to Thailand (with two City players in tow, to boot).

Apparently all that is not enough for Thaksin: reports this week describe Thaksin’s growing displeasure with City’s rather mediocre form since New Year’s, and apparent loss of faith in Sven as manager. In comments this week Thaksin refused to give Sven a vote of confidence for the future, and it is being reported Friday that Sven and Thaksin soon will have ‘”clear-the-air” meetings that could result in a buy-out.

For most City fans, these are appalling developments. Even though few City fans are particularly happy about the club’s more recent performances, they recognize and appreciation the impact Sven has made on the pitch: with four matches to play, City have 52 points, equalling their best ever total in the Premiership, and still have a decent chance of finishing as high as sixth. Equally important, the recent futile efforts of Thaksin to lure Ronaldinho to Manchester confirm the sense of City fans that Sven knows a lot more about how to build a strong club than Thaksin.

For quite a while this blog has been something of a lonely voice in maintaining a sceptical stance towards Thaksin and his long-term intentions for City. If the reported rift with Sven leads to the Swede leaving the club prematurely, Thaksin will immediately acquire a lot more scpetics (if he hasn’t already).

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