Temuri Ketsbaia admits he would one day love to manage former club Newcastle United.
Famagusta coach admits one day he'd like Newcastle job
Temuri Ketsbaia admits he would one day love to manage former club Newcastle United but for now is concentrating on life at Anorthosis Famagusta.
The Georgian tactician remains a popular figure at St James' Park from his playing days and is now forging an impressive reputation as a coach, having guided Famagusta to the UEFA Champions League - a feat never previously achieved by a Cypriot club.
In midweek a 3-3 draw with Italian champions Inter Milan added further kudos to a CV that could well pitch up in English boardrooms before too long.
While for now he is more than content at Famagusta, Ketsbaia admits he will one day quit Cyprus for a more illustrious domestic league. And a role at Newcastle would seemingly be ideal.
Why not?
"Would I like to manage Newcastle United?" he told
The Times.
"Why not? If I will get the chance, why not? Who would not want to?"
Although Ketsbaia would one day love to return to the North East, the current climate at a club up for sale and without a permanent manager does not appeal.
At a loss to explain the benefit of installing an interim boss in the wake of Kevin Keegan's departure, Ketsbaia cannot understand why Joe Kinnear would agree to such a role.
"Interim manager?" he added. "I don't understand this job.
"No one asked me so far if you're going to be in charge, but if someone did come to me, I would say this is suicide. You want to destroy your managing career, for maybe six games, if you go there? What's the point?
"If you go to the end of the season, OK, I understand that. Because you can show that you are capable of doing the job. But for me to go there now?
"No, I say again, it is suicide. OK, it may be good money, I hear £100,000 every game, but I want to make a job that has the right base."
In charge
When quizzed on whether he would enjoy working under a sporting director, another forthright opinion was proffered by the 40-year-old.
"I do not like what I hear about this [at Newcastle]," he concluded.
"Other people were bringing in players and the manager was just sitting there. If I want to be in charge of a team, I don't care for a general manager or whatever. If it's Ronaldinho or Kaka, OK. But a manager knows what he wants."
