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Cold shoulder Candidates ruled out for England manager job
LONDON (AP) -- Four candidates to replace departed England soccer coach Kevin Keegan were ruled out of contention Monday, while the search for a successor reportedly focused on continental Europe. The initial response from across the English Channel appeared as cold as within Britain as early favorite Aime Jacquet, coach of the French team that won the 1998 World Cup, quickly denied reports that he would take the England job. "I have no intention now to return to the playing field in high-level soccer in England, or elsewhere," Jacquet said in a communique released by the French Soccer Federation in Paris. Leicester manager Peter Taylor also removed himself from the running Monday, and Sunderland said Peter Reid would not be available. Newcastle United said it would not release Bobby Robson, the only person to say he was interested in the job. Keegan unexpectedly quit Saturday after a crushing 1-0 loss to archrival Germany in a World Cup qualifier, the last match to be played at 77-year-old Wembley Stadium. Keegan, who was jeered off the pitch, resigned after 20 months with a record of seven wins, seven ties and four losses. The loss to Germany, a first-round exit in the Euro 2000 soccer championship and constant pressure from fans and the press were too much for Keegan, who remarked that he felt "a little bit short of what's required." Howard Wilkinson was appointed interim manager for Wednesday's World Cup qualifier against Finland in Helsinki. The current top candidate for Keegan's long-term successor appears to be former England coach Terry Venables, who guided England to the semifinals of the Euro '96 championship final before being forced out by an off-the-pitch scandal. But his relationship with the Football Association -- which will choose Keegan's successor -- remains strained. A general dearth of qualified homegrown coaches has many soccer pundits calling for the appointment of a foreigner. Top names in Monday's papers included Arsenal's French manager Arsene Wenger, Italians Fabio Capello and Marcello Lippi and Dutchmen Johann Cruyff and Dick Advocaat. A foreigner at the helm of the world's oldest and proudest soccer tradition would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, but the English have grown increasingly accustomed to foreign managers and players ruling their domestic professional leagues. Wenger's current boss, Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood, remarked over the weekend that the Gunners manager "would be crazy" to take the England job. "If the [Football Association] approach me, I would give them permission to talk to Arsene," Hill-Wood told the Sun newspaper. "I can't believe he would want to do it. Why would he? It's an impossible job to do." That sentiment could also scare away Lippi, who was recently sacked by Italian giant Inter Milan for failing to live up to high expectations. Taylor, by contrast, has exceeded expectations at Leicester by guiding the Foxes to the top of the English Premier League. But the former England under-21 manager said he did not plan to apply for the senior national position. "It's nice to be linked with the position but I have a job to do here at Leicester and I'm really enjoying it," he told the local newspaper Leicester Mercury. Sunderland chairman Bob Murray ruled Reid out, saying: "Peter is dedicated to Sunderland and respects and values the autonomy of his position at the club." Newcastle manager Robson, a former England coach, offered his services if his country needed him. "I would dare say that there are few English managers with as much experience and if I received a telephone call from someone ... in the next few days, I would answer it," Robson said. But Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd said the 67-year-old Robson would not be permitted to take up any England offer. "Bobby's personal comments are typical of his good nature," he said. "However, we could not contemplate his release, neither in the short nor long term. He is under contract to Newcastle United and that is the end of it." Wilkinson, who coached England to a 2-0 loss to France in a friendly at Wembley after Glenn Hoddle quit in 1999, ranks third in bookmakers' odds to win the long-term job, tied with out-of-the-running Taylor at 8-1. Venables leads the latest Ladbrokes odds at 9-4, with Wenger second at 6-1, and Jacquet and Middlesbrough manager Bryan Robson tied for fifth at 10-1.
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