one of the greatest minds in football

one of the greatest minds in football

The former England international defender appears set to be overlooked for the Oxford United manager's job, much to his chagrin

Sol Campbell says he is one of the "greatest minds in football" and insists that he should be in a managerial job.

The former Arsenal and Tottenham defender applied for the vacant position at Oxford United, but reports suggest that ex-Manchester City striker Craig Bellamy is in pole position to take the post.

Campbell has subsequently hit out at the fact that he has yet to find a managerial job, and insists that he would take to any lower-league job like a duck to water.

"I did go [for the Oxford job] and they didn't accept me," he told the Arsenal podcast Highbury & Heels.

"Maybe it was a lack of experience, things like that, but it's a full circle. Experience? How do I get experience? Well, I need a job to get experience.

"I don't want to go too low that it's a struggle, and I don't want to go too low that I'm under someone and thinking 'what am I doing here?' I would rather be managing a club myself.

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"I'm confident and it's not like it's rocket science to run a football club, especially when you get to that level. If you're intelligent enough and a quick learner you will learn pretty soon, within two or three games, what the team needs, training-wise, to survive in that league, get better in that league, to get in the play-offs or even win the league.

"I'm intelligent enough, it's not like I played on a fox and dog pitch all my life. I can't believe some people, I'm one of the greatest minds in football and I'm being wasted because of a lack of experience or 'maybe he talks his mind too much'.

"Go to Germany, they love people who speak their minds. They got the jobs. I'm sorry that I've got a mind, but don't be scared of that. That should be something you want at your club, but obviously not."