Newly-appointed Newcastle United boss Steve McClaren has revealed that the manager's job at St James' Park was one that he had coveted for over a decade.
The former Derby County manager was officially unveiled as John Carver's replacement on Wednesday, and the former England boss has claimed that he had wanted his new role for several years.
McClaren told Sky Sports News: "I always wanted this job, as far back as 2004 when I was at Middlesbrough, I met with [ex-chairman] Freddie Shepherd and had two or three opportunities.
"Everything is about timing in football, and it wasn't the right time. Then I was at FC Twente and [Newcastle] were relegated and there was interest, but I was I loyal to Twente. Then there was the well-documented one in January just gone [when Alan Pardew left].
"I felt that the timing wasn't right. [Derby] were top of [the Championship] and we were on target to achieve what we wanted to and it was a job I wanted to finish, so it wasn't a case of turning Newcastle down at all."
McClaren has set his sights on a top-eight finish in the Premier League.
Paul Gorst
