Sven's latest passion – nights in with Tord and the accordion

The football manager John Gregory, boss of relegated Derby County, relaxes with his guitar, bashing out old rock 'n' roll favourites. Steve Bruce, in charge of newly promoted Birmingham City, is of a more literary bent, turning out detective novels in his spare time. Now the England number two, Tord Grip, has given a bizarre insight into his relationship with his boss, Sven Goran Eriksson. The sweet-sounding secret of the managerial duo is that Grip plays the accordion for the England coach's entertainment. According to Grip, he and Eriksson like to forget about the pressures of football and relax by talking about books and music. Occasionally he plays some music for his boss on his accordion.

"I play late Forties music, a little bit of swing, and I'm a big-band man," Eriksson's right-hand man said, adding, "We have been to many dinners together and he always pays. We talk about everything – a little bit of music, some books we have read recently. I will play the accordion for him. We try to avoid talking about football all the time."

Grip confirmed that Eriksson was as calm as he appeared in public, and said he had never known him lose his cool. "It's never happened," he said. "I can tell you it's never happened, although I don't know what he is doing at home." Listening to the accordion, presumably.