Welcome to "rhazesfootballcrazy.blogspot.com" ........... its all about football!!!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Blackburn rule out shock Maradona swoop as Eriksson snubs chance to replace sacked Allardyce

Blackburn have ruled out attempting to lure Diego Maradona in as their new manager as Sven Goran Eriksson rejected taking over at Ewood Park.

Anuradha Desai, the chairperson of Venky's Group, had suggested that Argentina hero Maradona was a prime target for the manager's post after Sam Allardyce was sacked on Monday.

But she has now dismissed the idea of him taking the Rovers hotseat.

Desai said: 'This is something that because we have offices everywhere somebody spoke about, but it is not true. There is no connection.

'This is something from before we got into the EPL - he knows one of our friends, but nothing beyond that. He is not being considered, not now and forever for the future. I can assure you there is nothing we are having to do with Maradona.'

Eriksson has been touted as one of the leading contenders to replace Allardyce but he insists he is staying at Championship side Leicester City.

He told the Leicester Mercury: 'Everyone wants to get into the Premier League, but I think we can do that with Leicester.

'I am happy here and I am not interested in any other jobs. I can sign tomorrow for three, four or five years if the owners want.


'But I am sure they want to see what is happening this season and next season - and that's fair. What the owner wants in that time is the Premier League.'

The Indian owners have also insisted the decision to remove Allardyce had nothing to do with transfer policy.

Allardyce was surprisingly dismissed on Monday with his team 13th in the Barclays Premier League. He had objected to the prospect of having new signings forced upon him in the January transfer window by Venky's.

But Desai claims the decision to axe the 56-year-old was based on long-term footballing reasons.

She told BBC Radio Five Live: 'We have a long-term vision. We want to take the club up to higher heights in terms of position, in terms of overall betterment of the club, in terms of development of younger players - the future.

'In that, Sam definitely didn't fit in. We don't want to be, all the time, in danger of being relegated - three points away, five points away. I don't think this team deserves that. This team has a lot of potential and we can see that.'

Allardyce's first-team coach Steve Kean has taken temporary charge of the side and could remain in the post for some time.

Desai said: 'We are looking for a manager in the future but that is going to take time. We don't want to make a hurried decision. We want to understand, meet a lot of people, take opinions and study the scenario. For the time being we have given Steve Kean the job.


'I can assure you he is the guy who is hands-on, he knows the strengths and the weaknesses of the players. He has been working hard with the players and I am pretty sure he will do an excellent job.'

(source : daily mail)

No comments:

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Powered By Blogger