Hans can't wait to get one over

Sven-Goran Eriksson may not quite yet be a legend, except perhaps with selective members of the fairer sex, but there is no doubt about the status of the man who will be sitting in the next dugout on Saturday evening in Vienna.

Hans Krankl is, by a distance, the most famous footballer Austria has ever produced.

As a striker of power and no mean touch, Johann 'Hans' Krankl was the Alan Shearer of his day. In 69 internationals, Krankl scored 34 goals, including five in 10 matches in the World Cup finals of 1978 and 82.

He was Austrian Player of the Year nine times, scored 300 goals in 400 domestic appearances, mostly for Rapid Vienna, was top scorer in the Spanish League in his first year with Barcelona and won the European Golden Boot in 1977-78 with 41 goals.

Krankl's playing days have long since gone, however, and the 51-year-old from Vienna now enjoys somewhat less success attempting to mould an Austrian squad good enough to compete at the highest level.

Although Austria emerged 4-3 winners the last time they met England, in 1979, the recent portents for Krankl's team have been less encouraging.

They failed to qualify for Euro 2004, conceding 13 goals in four matches to the Czech Republic and Holland, as well as also managing to lose to Moldova. Since then they have played one friendly, losing 3-1 to Germany.

Krankl himself has already been indulging in a little psychological warfare. "As a player, I was in the Austrian team who met England in 1973. We lost 7-0," he said. "My opinion is they are great favourites again and the rest of us are competing for second place."

Eriksson and his squad will treat that statement with a pinch of salt but the England coach will know that three points won in Vienna on Saturday night will take much of the pressure off before what could be a tougher challenge in Poland four nights later. The Viennese public, unlike their hero Krankl, have certainly not given up this match as a lost cause, however. They quickly snapped up the tickets for Saturday's clash and there will be a sell-out crowd of 47,000 in the Ernst Happel Stadion for this World Cup qualifier.

Many of the Austrian fans will be there to compare their very own 'David Beckham', with the real thing. Andreas Ivanschitz who, at 20, is his country's youngest ever captain, and is the new heart-throb of Austrian football.

Krankl admits he has some way to go before he can be satisfied with the present international squad but his biggest headache appears to be a goalkeeping one. "We have a problem in goal," he said after Thomas Mandl had let in a soft one against Germany.

Krankl's other options are both well known in English football, with former Arsenal goalkeeper Alex Manninger vying for the position with ex-Chelsea goalkeeper Jurgen Macho.

Austria may have at least one eye on 2008, when they co-host the European Championship with Switzerland.

But Krankl, despite his defeatist tones, would like nothing better than to put one over England. He was a member of the Rapid Vienna side who played in an infamous Cup Winners' Cup tie against Celtic in 1985.

After a 3-1 first-leg defeat in Vienna, Celtic were leading 3-0 in the second match at Parkhead when Rapid defender Rudolph Weinhofer was hit by a flying bottle.

The match, which saw the fans get angry, was ordered to be replayed at Old Trafford with the Austrians winning 1-0.

They went on to lose 3-1 in the final to Howard Kendall's Everton team.

Krankl has a soft spot for the Scots despite that incident in Glasgow - but not for the English. "I have been a fan of Scotland since I was a boy," he said. "Also Ireland, but not England."

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