By Chris Wright
Jose Mourinho has admitted that he was ‘hours away’ from taking the England job when Steve McClaren was relieved of his duties back in 2007 – and that he would have taken the job were it not for a last minute change of heart/moment of stark realisation.
In an interview with L’Equipe, Mourinho said:
“I was hours away – I almost signed up for the England national team – but at the last minute I began thinking, ‘I am going to coach a national side, there will be one match a month and the rest of the time I will be in my office or overseeing matches.
“Then I’ll have to wait until the summer to compete in a European Championship or a World Cup’ – no, it wasn’t for me.
“So at the last moment I pulled back, preferring to wait for the right job to come along, a good club, a challenge that could motivate me. That was Inter.”
Alas, what could have been eh? Fights with his superiors at the FA over forcing through an English passport for John Obi Mikel, John Terry made honorary England captain for life with ‘no-givesies-backsies’, ultra-cautious 1-0 victories from now until the end of time, no Shaun Wright-Phillips ever again…bliss.
Reckon he’d have done a better job than Fabio Capello? Or is that like asking whether or not the Pope goes potty in the woods?