Venables rejects Newcastle poisoned chalice

Terry Venables rejects chance to become Newcastle United manager, saying he does not want job on temporary basis

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Friday, 26, Sep 2008 10:33

Terry Venables has turned down the opportunity to take up the managerial reins at Newcastle United because of the uncertainty surrounding the club's future.

The Magpies wanted the former England manager to replace Kevin Keegan, who resigned earlier this month, on a temporary basis.

But Venables said he was seeking a fixed contract rather than being hired on a game-by-game basis.

"There is one reason and one reason alone why I've turned down the chance to take temporary charge at Newcastle – time," the 65-year-old wrote in the Sun, for which he writes a regular column.

"Newcastle United means too much to too many people to take the job on a short-term basis. It demands total commitment and dedication from a manager who is prepared to throw himself heart and soul into the club.

"I didn't want to move up to Tyneside and find myself surplus to requirements before I'd even had the chance to get my teeth into the challenge.

"The way the job was offered to me meant that I might be working at St James' Park for two months, two years - or two weeks. There was far too much uncertainty involved."

Glenn Hoddle and David O'Leary are reportedly being lined up as potential candidates to take over at Newcastle, who have lost all their games since Keegan left, citing a lack of control over transfer matters.

Magpies owner Mike Ashley has already said he wants to sell the club after fans turned on him over Keegan's resignation.

Venables, who claimed he was "ready and willing to give [the Newcastle job] a real go", said the club's supporters had "suffered more than enough in recent years".

"I didn't want them to think I'd gone up there just to pocket a few quid from Mike Ashley and then wave 'cheerio' a couple of weeks later," he continued.