‘Come and get me’ – Mourinho

LONDON – Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is willing to consider the vacant position as manager of England’s national team, he told The Sun tabloid in an early edition of its Wednesday paper.

Asked if he was keen on the role,, the Portuguese replied: “You will have to speak to the FA (Football Association) to see if they are interested in offering me the job.” “I cannot say what I think until they say they are interested.Tell the FA to come and get me …We will have to wait and see.But I rule nothing out.”England are without a manager after the FA sacked Steve McClaren on Thursday after a 3-2 defeat against Croatia at Wembley the previous evening meant the side failed to qualify for the 2008 European Championships.FA chief executive Brian Barwick, who played a key role in what many viewed as the excessively hasty appointment of McClaren, has now promised to take his time as he searches for a new manager.Early favourite Martin O’Neill has ruled himself out, as have Sam Allardyce and Alan Curbishley, who were both interviewed when McClaren’s Swedish predecessor Sven-Goran Eriksson announced his intention to quit.Although there remains a strong body of opinion within English football that would like to see a home-grown or at ‘worst’ a British manager chosen, the FA have not ruled out appointing a foreigner to the post with respected Italian manager Fabio Capello another possible candidate together with Mourinho.Mourinho quit Chelsea in September following a series of rows with the London club’s Russian owner Roman Abramovich.During his three years at Stamford Bridge the ‘Special One’, as Mourinho described himself having guided FC Porto to Champions League glory in 2004, steered Chelsea to two Premier League titles in his first two years in charge, last season’s FA Cup and the League Cup in 2005 and 2007.Nampa-AFP”I cannot say what I think until they say they are interested.Tell the FA to come and get me …We will have to wait and see.But I rule nothing out.”England are without a manager after the FA sacked Steve McClaren on Thursday after a 3-2 defeat against Croatia at Wembley the previous evening meant the side failed to qualify for the 2008 European Championships.FA chief executive Brian Barwick, who played a key role in what many viewed as the excessively hasty appointment of McClaren, has now promised to take his time as he searches for a new manager.Early favourite Martin O’Neill has ruled himself out, as have Sam Allardyce and Alan Curbishley, who were both interviewed when McClaren’s Swedish predecessor Sven-Goran Eriksson announced his intention to quit.Although there remains a strong body of opinion within English football that would like to see a home-grown or at ‘worst’ a British manager chosen, the FA have not ruled out appointing a foreigner to the post with respected Italian manager Fabio Capello another possible candidate together with Mourinho.Mourinho quit Chelsea in September following a series of rows with the London club’s Russian owner Roman Abramovich.During his three years at Stamford Bridge the ‘Special One’, as Mourinho described himself having guided FC Porto to Champions League glory in 2004, steered Chelsea to two Premier League titles in his first two years in charge, last season’s FA Cup and the League Cup in 2005 and 2007.Nampa-AFP