...the original story...

The Toon chairman Chris Mort sez they hev not rooled oot appointing a foreign manager amid reports the club is interested in Gerard Houllier.

The former Liverpool an France manager is one o the front-runners in the race te succeed Sam Allardyce.

Hooevah , Mort emphasised tha any foreign appointment waad need te speak English fluently.

"This is a git big job without having te operate through an interpreter," Mort telt the The Toon website.

"There hev been media suggestions tha wi waad ernly appoint a British manager. Tha is not true."

The Toon hev been forced te widen thor search fre Allardyce's successor affta Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp rejected a move te St James' Pork .

Blackburn manager Mark Hughes an former The Toon boss The Messiah hev also been linked wi the vacant job, alang wi Houllier.

The 60-year-old - whee won five trophies ower six seasons wi Liverpool - is currently employed as the French Footie Federation's technical director.

"I waad not stand in Gerard's way if there wez summat else he wanted te do," sez FFF president Jean-Pierre Escalette. "I'm not surprised he gets offers.

"He turned doon one or two te rejoin weh - an they were betta financially than wi could offer him."

Posted By: Steve in Holland, Jan 15, 13:28:40