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Tel unhappy with Toon job description
Newcastle United, 08:53, September 26, 2008 ,
Terry Venables says he snubbed the chance to take over at Newcastle because of the uncertainty of how long he would be in the job for.
The former England boss was approached by the Magpies to take over at St James' Park on a temporary basis until current owner Mike Ashley managed to sell the club to new investors. However Venables was put off by the fact he would only be in the post until the club was sold and that offers no concrete time frame for him to work within.
"There is one reason and one reason alone why I've turned down the chance to take temporary charge at Newcastle - time," he told The Sun.
"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.
"When I take on a job I need to know exactly what my goals and targets are.
"It would have been impossible to achieve any aims in the conditions they wanted me to work under.
"I was ready and willing to give it a real go but I was never offered the chance to do that.
"All they could guarantee was that I'd be in a job until Mike Ashley sells the club - whenever that might be.
"So as flattered and honoured as I was to be approached by Newcastle, in the end it wasn't that difficult a decision for me to decline their offer."