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London - Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe ruled himself out on
Thursday of replacing Sam Allardyce as England manager, although he said the
"ultimate job" could tempt him later in his career.
Allardyce's one-game career as England manager came to a
humiliating end after just 67 days on Tuesday following controversial comments
made to undercover reporters.
The 61-year-old was secretly filmed giving advice on how to
circumnavigate transfer rules and mocking England predecessor Roy Hodgson.
Allardyce, appointed England manager in July on a $3.9
million, also agreed to travel to Singapore and Hong Kong as an ambassador for
their fictitious firm for a fee of $400 000.
England Under-21 coach Gareth Southgate has been placed in
caretaker charge for upcoming World Cup qualifiers, but the 38-year-old Howe
has been touted as a full-time replacement on the grounds that the benefit of
his being a clean break with the past would outweigh his relative inexperience.
Howe was linked with the England job after Hodgson resigned
following the team's embarrassing exit from this year's European Championships
in France at the hands of Iceland.
But he insisted on Thursday he wanted to help cement south
coast side Bournemouth's place in the Premier League as he followed United
States coach Jurgen Klinsmann in ruling himself out of replacing Allardyce.
"They (the Football Association) haven't come to me and
my message is very similar. I am committed here, I love the job and I have a
lot more to do here," Howe said.
"I think I have said in many interviews that the
England job is the ultimate job.
"I have signed players very recently and I am committed
to them, I have a future to them, the rest of the season.
"It's all hypothetical of course but I could not turn
my back on this club. I want to show loyalty to the people who have employed
me, the same loyalty that they showed me.
"My aims are to move this club forward, to try and lead
this club up in the Premier League this season and that is my only thought.
"It sounds arrogant but I am not interested in the
(England) job now, but you never know what will happen in the future."
Meanwhile, Howe lamented that off-field factors had cut
short Allardyce's time as England manager.
"I think when anyone loses their job for non-football
reasons, it is a real shame," he said.
"The team needed consistency, they had chosen Sam as
their man to lead them forward and I think he was the right choice so I think
it is really sad for English football, it is the players that will suffer.
"Corruption has no place, I am sure everyone will
agree, but the way Sam left his job, I will not comment on."
The Telegraph has also alleged eight unnamed managers with
Premier League experience took bribes for the transfers of players during
secretly filmed interviews.
But Howe made it clear he wasn't one of them.
"(I have) certainly not (taken a bribe). The structure
at this football club is I deal with the team and somebody else does the
financial deal with the agents.
"I am removed from the financial deals at the club and I think that suits me fine to be on the pitch with the players and training."
