Fergie: I turned down England job
Sir Alex Ferguson tonight claimed he turned down the chance to
manage England twice.
The Manchester United boss told a Canadian television station he
was never interested in the job, but was approached on two
occasions. He did not give details, but it is thought Ferguson was
considered as a replacement for Terry Venables in 1996 and Glenn
Hoddle three years later.
The 68-year-old, speaking as his side prepared to begin their North
American tour, said: "I was offered the chance to manage the
England team on a couple of occasions but, of course, it was just
out of the question."
He added: "It's a poisoned chalice anyway. I think it's a terrible
job, plus the fact that I would have had a tremendous handicap
being Scottish; no matter which way you look it, that's
important."
Ferguson had plenty to say during this summer's World Cup as
England limped out in the first knock-out round with several
players, not least United's own Wayne Rooney, failing to
perform.
And the United boss reiterated his belief fatigue played a huge
role in their failure.
"The English season is exhausting," he said. "Look at December, for
instance, when we play eight or nine games even though it's the
worst time of the year for the pitches, when they are heavier and
the weather is at its worst.
"In the second half of the season, you then find lots of players
are carrying little strains and pulls. But because of the
importance of the games they keep on playing and, when they get to
the end of the season and there's an important tournament such as
the World Cup, they are not 100%.
"They can't be because they need that rest factor to bring the
energy back into their system."
The Press
Association