SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON was sacked from Manchester City in one of the strangest ways ever.
The former England boss took charge at the Citizens in July 2007, a year after leaving the Three Lions.
An impressive start saw City top of the table after three games, they secured a league double over Manchester United for the first time since 1969-70 and finished ninth with a record points tally of 55.
In the spring, though, owner and former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had hinted at getting rid of Eriksson just a year into his three-year contract.
And that prompted waves of support from fans, unanimously demanding to "Save Our Sven" and keep the Swede in charge.
City lost 8-1 to Middlesbrough on the final day and Shinawatra insisted all the players and staff went on a post-season tour to Thailand.
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And it was at the end of that bizarre trip that Eriksson was given his marching orders in baffling fashion – after a trip to a karaoke bar and with no explanation from the owner.
Eriksson told Paramount+: "Shinawatra decided the whole team should go to Thailand. All the players protested but they all went.
"On the last evening of the tour, Thaksin invited all the staff to a karaoke club.
"During the late hours there, he took the microphone and came to the table where the coaches were sitting.
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"He started to sing, 'Should I stay or should I go now?'
"I couldn't believe it. 'Am I dreaming?'
"The day after, he wanted to have breakfast with me before leaving and there he told me I was sacked.
"I asked him, 'Why?'
"'I don't know,' he said.
"Three times I asked him and he said, 'I didn't know, it's a feeling in my stomach.'
"That was the second time I was sacked in England. That hurt."
Eriksson was replaced by Mark Hughes at City in the summer of 2008, just weeks before the mega-rich Abu Dhabi owners came in and bought the club, pumping billions in over the subsequent 15 years.
The Swede, meanwhile, had spells with Mexico and Ivory Coast before returning to England at Leicester from 2010 to 2011.
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He managed three clubs in China and his last managerial job was with the Philippines national team, leaving in 2019.
The 75-year-old stepped back from his role as sporting director at Karlstad Fotboll in his homeland due to serious health concerns.
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