Manchester City boss Sven Goran Eriksson has sympathy for former Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce.

Eriksson believes English club bosses have now become as ruthless and demanding as those in Spain and Italy, who regularly get rid of managers after just a few games.

"I feel sorry for Sam," said Eriksson. "He has only been there for a few months. Normally you would get more time than that before you were sacked, so it is a surprise.

"Football is the same all over the world. If things go wrong, it is difficult to sack the players or the directors. So who gets the sack? The manager. It has always been like that.

"But it happens more often in England today than it did 10 years ago. We are becoming southern European in that way."

Eriksson remains convinced Allardyce would have proved a success at Newcastle if he had been given the opportunity.

"I have no idea what has happened but I did feel, given time, Sam would have solved the situation," he said. "That is what he did at Bolton, so he must be a good manager.

"I have to defend my colleagues, managers should be given more time. But it is nothing new."