Can Sven succeed at Notts County?

It was an announcement that made many people check their calendar to see if it was an April fool. But no it is true; Sven Goran Eriksson has joined Notts County.

The Nottingham side play in League two, England’s basement division, and finished a lowly 19th last season. But after years in the doldrums a recent take-over by a Middle Eastern consortium has breathed new life into the Magpies (I blogged about their takeover on this site a few weeks ago.

Now with financial backing they have lured the former England boss to Meadow Lane as director of football. He will work with current boss Ian McParland, setup a scouting network, a training infrastructure and hunt down new players. In a press conference this week Sven revealed he is aiming for the Premier League. No pressure then.

It's certainly high ambitions for a club, the oldest league side in the World, that last played in the top flight in 1992 – the year before the Premier League was formed.

But will Sven be a success?

Critics are already claiming the Swede is following the money and is unlikely to stick out his five year deal; after all he has received over £7 million in severance pay after leaving his previous three jobs before the end of his contract.

But Sven has hit back at those claims, saying he could have gone to Italy if it was for money and prefers the challenge, a similar one to when he started his managerial career in Sweden. He is almost building the club up from nothing.

But the vagaries of England’s lower leagues are very different to the Premier League or International football. Sven knows nothing of the players in the division and so will have to rely on his coaching staff to update him on key players.

Similarly, a Man City style shopping spree is not allowed as league rules state salaries should be no more than 60% turnover.

But the lure of Eriksson and the ambition the club is showing should be enough to attract the players required to get out of League two and the Championship is a realistic aim within three or four years.

Many clubs like Hull, Doncaster and Fulham have skipped up the divisions within a few seasons. The toughest call will be the jump from the Championship to the Premier League. The Championship is a very tough division and if County are to get out of it I suspect the Arab riches will have to come into play.

If Sven and County are to achieve their aims it would be like something out of a computer game, an almost unbelievable reality that many County fans will struggle to comprehend. But after all the years of suffering at the bottom of the league ladder it seems a safe football bet that not many people would begrudge them this dramatic change in fortunes.