Post by Salem6 on Nov 22, 2007 13:17:37 GMT
Former Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello has said he would be interested in the England manager's job.
Capello has been extremely successful in his career
Steve McClaren was sacked after England's 3-2 defeat by Croatia cost them a place at the Euro 2008 finals.
And 61-year-old Capello, who has won league titles with Real, AC Milan and Roma, said: "It would be a beautiful challenge. I am the right age."
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill and former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho are the bookies' favourites for the job.
O'Neill was rejected by the FA after interviewing for the role before McClaren's appointment and may be reluctant to put himself in the frame again.
Mourinho, meanwhile, has been out of work since leaving Chelsea in September following a dispute with Blues owner Roman Abramovich.
The Portuguese has the credentials to be successful, after winning back-to-back Premier League titles with Chelsea a season after clinching the Champions League with Porto, but may prefer club management to the international arena.
A close friend of the Portuguese told the BBC: "Jose is very sorry for the result and for what happened to Steve, a coach he always respected.
"For him, the absence of England is very bad for Euro 2008, and he is also unhappy for the absence of such good players. No more comment."
Capello is so far the only potential candidate to publicly declare an interest in coaching England.
He was sacked by Real at the end of last season despite winning the Spanish title and he is available as he is now working as a commentator for Italian television.
However, Capello might prove to be a controversial choice to succeed McClaren, as his many successes on the pitch have been marred by some unsavoury episodes.
He led Roma to the title in 2001 - their first major honour in a decade - but then became embroiled in a dispute with club captain Francesco Totti, was accused of moving on key players and ended his spell at Roma with the club in danger of relegation.
Capello then became Juventus boss and led them to league titles in 2005 and 2006, but the club was stripped of their trophies because of their involvement in a match-fixing scandal.
Following that, Capello resigned as Juventus manager and joined Real Madrid for a second spell - having first taken the reins in 1996 - where he again claimed the Spanish title in 2007.
But the success did not stop Capello from being dismissed by the Spanish giants, who were unhappy with his defensive style of play.
news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/7107060.stm
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That'll really be a challenge for the bloke that duzn't fail :s