Mourinho, O’neill Are Favorites For England Coach Job
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English soccer officials began their search for a new national team coach by saying they won’t restrict themselves to home-grown candidates.
The Football Association fired Steve McClaren today after England missed out on a place at next year’s European Championship by losing 3-2 at home to Croatia last night.
McClaren was appointed last year amid a media clamor for an Englishman to replace Sven-Goran Eriksson, the first non- national to get the job. Bookmakers rate former Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho and Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill — Portuguese and Northern Irish respectively — as McClaren’s most likely successor.
“I don’t think nationality will necessarily be an issue,” F.A. Chief Executive Officer Brian Barwick said at a news conference in London today.
Association Chairman Geoff Thompson said there’s “no timeframe” for an appointment. England doesn’t play a competitive game until its qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup begins in September next year. It faces France in a Paris exhibition match on March 26.
Bookmaker Coral listed former England players Alan Shearer, Steve Coppell and Stuart Pearce as contenders, along with Brazilian World Cup-winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who turned down the job last year.
Reading’s Coppell is one of seven English managers in the Premier League, while Pearce heads the England under-21s and was replaced as Manchester City manager by Eriksson this year.
William Hill says an English appointment is a 2-1 chance, compared with 4-11 for a foreigner, with Mourinho and O’Neill heading the betting.
`Two-Horse Race’
“We have a lively two-horse race on our hands at the moment between two men unlikely to be as compliant as their potential bosses might like,” William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe said in a statement.
Mourinho, 44, is out of work after leaving Chelsea in September, having fallen out with team owner Roman Abramovich. He led the Blues to two Premier League titles after clinching the Champions League with Porto.
The 55-year-old O’Neill, who has had successful spells at Leicester City and Celtic, told Glasgow’s Evening Times today it was “utterly pointless” to discuss the England job.
“I am committed to Aston Villa,” the paper quoted him as saying.
`Beautiful Challenge’
Fabio Capello, the former Real Madrid and A.C. Milan coach, told the BBC that coaching England “would be a beautiful challenge” and that he is “the right age.” The 61-year-old is William Hill’s third favorite.
Newcastle’s Sam Allardyce ruled himself out of the running, while fellow Englishman Harry Redknapp, Portsmouth’s manager, said he would like the job, Sky Sports News reported.
“Anyone would love to manage their country but I don’t see it coming my way,” Redknapp told Sky.
Eriksson, a Swede, is rated a 250-1 chance with Irish bookmaker Paddy Power.
