Quit now or stay, Sven told

Tord Grip today revealed that he urged Sven-Goran Eriksson to make an urgent decision about his future at the height of the speculation linking the England coach with a move to Chelsea.

Grip, who has known Eriksson for more than 30 years and is his assistant with England, was a key figure in the Swede's decision to agree a new contract with the Football Association rather than go to work for Roman Abramovich.

The 66-year-old Norwegian also said he told Eriksson that, if he was contemplating quitting England, he should do it immediately and not wait until this summer's European Championships in Portugal.

Eriksson, who said in a BBC Radio 5 Live interview that he still does not believe he did anything wrong, first met Abramovich last July and had further discussions with Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon in recent weeks before deciding to sign a new contract with England.

"It was necessary to do something," said Grip. "We couldn't go on as we were every day, it was not good for us, the players, the FA - no-one.

"I said 'If you are thinking of going away, you should just leave now. In fact, you should have done it before. If you want to stay though, something has to be done'.