I CAN believe that Bolton are top of the Premiership, that there is an air guitar world championships (how long before it's an Olympic event?) and even that Alex Ferguson has been knighted.

But I can't believe a Swede is manager of the England football team.

To avoid being accused of 'not saying that when England beat Germany 5-1' I reaffirm my belief that appointing a foreigner to take charge of the England team is a cop out and a national disgrace.

It is nothing personal against Sven Goran Eriksson. He looks to me to be one of the nicest, most intelligent and all round impressive football managers I have ever seen.

The measure of the man came minutes after his greatest achievement as a manager in Munich on Saturday when he stunned the world's media at the after match press conference. Instead of revelling in personal glory he announced that something more important than football had occurred which prevented his opposite number Rudi Voller from attending the conference.

Voller's father, he said, had suffered a heart attack during the game and that his thoughts were with the Voller family at that time.

Eriksson has done an awesome job for England, conducted himself superbly in the difficult position of being England's first foreign manager and proven himself to be a true gentleman.

In short, he has convinced everybody, including me, that he is on a different level to previous England managers and to those Englishmen who were in the frame with him to replace Kevin Keegan.

But he should not be England manager.

Managers are the most important influence on a football team. That is shown by the fact that the reason England have won six of their last seven games is Sven Goran Eriksson, the reason Bolton Wanderers are top of the Premiership is Sam Allardyce and the reason Manchester United have been the dominant force in English football for the last 10 years is Alex Ferguson.

So, as part of the team - and whether he is on the field or not a manager and his coaches indisputably form part of the team - international managers should be subjected to the same eligibility rules as the players. They should either have been born in the country or have a blood link to that country via their parents or grandparents.

To allow managers to lead countries that they have no birth or blood connection with makes a mockery of the whole point of international football.

When England play Germany it should be people from England pitting their wits against people from Germany; members of that country standing or falling by their combined abilities.

To employ somebody from Sweden to select, shape, mastermind and manufacture success and then hold aloft the flag of St George and acclaim an English victory is hollow.

As hollow, indeed, as John Motson's words at the end of Saturday's game when he said it was a night that makes you proud to be English as the TV pictures showed the Scottish chief executive of the Football Association congratulating the Swedish manager.

If you ask me whether I would prefer to be going to the World Cup Finals next year with a Swedish manager or failing to qualify with an English manager I have to hold my hands up and say I would rather be there with Sven in charge.

I was cheering with the best of them as Michael Owen and Co produced the best England result for 35 years on Saturday. But even if we were to win the biggest prize in international football next year there would always be that nagging feeling that Engand won the World Cup with a massive amount of help from Sweden.