Source: Daily_Mail
'I should replace Sir Alex Ferguson': Hearts boss Lazlo wants United job
By Ewing GrahameLast updated at 11:00 AM on 30th October 2009[LNB]Not content with cranking up the pressure on Tony Mowbray after Hearts knocked outthe holders of the Co-operative Insurance Cup, Csaba Laszlo last night made the extraordinary claim that he should have beaten the Englishman to the Celtic job as well.[LNB]Wednesday night's 1-0 victory for the Tynecastle side may have sparkeddemonstrations from disgruntled home fans but it also appears to have increased the Romanian's bafflement that he was not considered for the Parkhead post when Gordon Strachan resigned in May.[LNB]Laszlo said he still can't work out why majority shareholder Dermot Desmond did not contact him before paying West Brom £2million to lure Mowbray north of the border.[LNB]United next: Hearts' manager Csaba Laszlo issues 'come and get me' plea to Man United [LNB]This week's win was Hearts' first on the road for eight months. But falling to ninth place in the SPL table clearly hasn't affected Laszlo's belief in his own ability, nor his conviction that it is his destiny to one day manage a big club.[LNB]The prospect of a new sporting director looking over his shoulder at Tynecastle, in the shape of Ivan Svabovic, may have prompted some of his outpourings.[LNB]But there was just no stopping Laszlo on his dreams for the future, including the astounding boast that he could deliver Liverpool the league title that has so far eluded Rafa Benitez.[LNB]'The jobs at Celtic and Rangers are the highest you can get in Scotland,' he said.[LNB]'Maybe in the summer the owner of Celtic wanted someone who had played for them before as the new manager but I was surprised that my name wasn't mentioned in connection with it.[LNB]'I am fluent in five languages. I am ambitious and I am 100-per-cent certain that, one day, I will be offered the chance to manage a big club, so why not Celtic or Rangers?[LNB]After 16 months in charge of Hearts, I could handle anything.[LNB]'The most important thing in my life is to show everyone in Scotland and the UK that I am a good manager; that I am capable of leading a team at a higher level and to have success.[LNB]'It's what I want and what I need. Being manager of Heart of Midlothian offers me fantastic possibilities. Last season we finished third and I won the Manager of the Year award, which tells me what I am doing is OK.[LNB]'I survived the Ceausescu regime in Romania and I became coach of the year in Hungary with Ferencvaros. When I managed the Ugandan national team, we beat Nigeria for the first time in 14 years and I was called Magic Man.[LNB]'I always give everything. When I was playing for Bayer Uerdingen in Germany, I suffered a knee injury at 24 and had eight - yes eight! - operations to try to cure the problem.[LNB]'Nothing worked, so I stopped playing and put everything into being a coach. Twelve of the youth-team players I worked with went on to play in theBundesliga and abroad.'[LNB]Laszlo claims to have rejected four lucrative offers to manage elsewhere in recent months, including a chance to work at next summer's World Cup finals.[LNB] Natural successor? Csaba Laszlo wants to replace Sir Alex Ferguson when the Scot finally calls it a day[LNB] However, he has no doubts he will one day leave the Vladimir Romanov regime behind and eventually take charge of one of the biggest names in the game.[LNB]'If Liverpool were to call me, then I would go there and change the fact that they have not been champions for 20 years. Why not?[LNB]'Equally, should Manchester United ask me to take the job from Sir Alex Ferguson, I would go there and keep them in first place. That is the confidence I have in my ability and, if you don't have this, then you are in the wrong job.[LNB]'I had three offers to manage other clubs and my salary would have been bigger at all three. I also had better offers when I left Uganda to come to Hearts.[LNB]'My wife tells me I am crazy but I had given my word to Mr Romanov I would come and that I would stay, and those other clubs did not feel right for me.[LNB]'For me, my gut reaction to these things is more important than money. The South African FA recently asked me if I wanted to manage their national team. That is no accident because they knew the job I did in Africa.[LNB]'But I gave my word to Mr Romanov and, as long as he doesn't change his course, I will give my all for Heart of Midlothian. Before Wednesday, I knew our performances hadn't been the best recently but there may be a chance for us to do something during the January transfer window.[LNB]'My contract has one more season to run but there is a clause in it which means I can leave for a certain sum.'[LNB]Laszlo was disappointed when Romanov decided against building on last season's success and withdrew spending plans last summer. Consequently,the manager has had to work with a less talented group.[LNB]'It's frustrating that we haven't progressed,' he said. 'We could have qualified for the Europa League with a few signings but the economic situation meant that wasn't possible. I have accepted this and will continue to work with our young players.[LNB]'Last summer, 12 senior players left the club and three young players arrived. A 25-year-old footballer will think differently from a 20-year-old, just as I, at 45, think differently about the game than I did when I was 30. It is called experience.[LNB]'Everyone wants success and people in other countries may look at my situation and think: "He was third last season and now he's ninth: What's going wrong?" But the question everyone should ask is: "Does he have the tools?"[LNB]'If someone invests £10m or £20m in his club, then he is entitled to ask for success, but that is not the case.'[LNB]Despite that reasoning, and having guided Hearts into the last four of the League Cup, he has now set his sights on overhauling city rivals Hibs, who are currently third in the SPL.[LNB]'How we finish the season is more important than where we are now,' he said. 'It's fantastic for Hibs to be third at the moment but we have played just nine games so far and I hope to have overtaken them after 38 matches.[LNB]'My target at the start of every season is to win the championship and, as it goes on, to finish as high as we possibly can.'[LNB] PICTURE SPECIAL: Henrik Larsson in tears as final whistle blows on Celtic legend's playing careerSir Alex Ferguson lost top spot at Liverpool and is now public enemy No 1 with referees, but let's remember that he is ... STILL THE GREATESTCeltic 0 Hearts 1: Wasteful Celts are defended by boss Tony MowbrayStrachan hits back after Mowbray criticises Celtic squad left by Boro boss[LNB]
