Eriksson chases Newcastle job

LONDON – Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, who has admitted to being bored after almost a year out of work, would be interested in talking to Newcastle about the vacant manager’s job, his agent said yesterday.

Eriksson handed over the reins to assistant Steve McClaren after last year’s World Cup, when a lacklustre England were eliminated by Portugal in the quarter-finals. He is still being paid compensation by the Football Association but the Swede said last week that he is looking for a way back into the game, and was ready to take a “big job” in the English Premiership.There has been no contact between Newcastle and the Swede’s representatives in the wake of Glenn Roeder’s departure.But his agent Athole Still has revealed the job at St James’ Park is just the kind he would seriously consider.Eriksson fared well in a phone poll of fans carried out by Newcastle-based radio station Metro, although he is not understood to figure high on chairman Freddy Shepherd’s shortlist, which is topped by overwhelming favourite Sam Allardyce with Lyon manager Gerard Houllier also emerging as a surprise candidate.Nampa-AFPHe is still being paid compensation by the Football Association but the Swede said last week that he is looking for a way back into the game, and was ready to take a “big job” in the English Premiership.There has been no contact between Newcastle and the Swede’s representatives in the wake of Glenn Roeder’s departure.But his agent Athole Still has revealed the job at St James’ Park is just the kind he would seriously consider.Eriksson fared well in a phone poll of fans carried out by Newcastle-based radio station Metro, although he is not understood to figure high on chairman Freddy Shepherd’s shortlist, which is topped by overwhelming favourite Sam Allardyce with Lyon manager Gerard Houllier also emerging as a surprise candidate.Nampa-AFP