Reid scotches rumours of quitting Thai job

It had been speculated that the 52-year-old Englishman was among the candidates likely to take over the post left vacant following former Manchester United star Roy Keane's sudden resignation last week.

Adding grist to the rumour mill was Reid's column published in Daily Mail, which suggested that he was interested in a return to the club he twice led to seventh place during the first spell between 1995 and 2002.

However, the veteran coach quickly moved to clarify his position on the matter by dismissing the report as just a "misreading" after watching Thailand thump Laos 6-0 in the Group B match of the ASEAN Football Federation's Suzuki Cup on Monday.

"I said that at a certain time I want go back to England. But I have a contract in Thailand that I want to fulfil.

"I didn't say I wanted to go back to Sunderland, sometimes in England you get misquoted. I haven't been offered the job at Sunderland and I will not take it if I am offered it. I haven't asked for the job at Sunderland.

"I have been there once and loved it, it's a great place but I am enjoying working here," said Reid.

Reid, who took over the national post in September, insisted that despite all the speculations surrounding his future, he remained fully focussed on the job at hand as he attempts to help Thailand win back the title they last won in 2002.

Having earned maximum points in their first two matches, with a win over Laos following a 2-0 triumph over Vietnam, Thailand need only a point in the last fixture against Malaysia today to secure their passage into the semi-finals as group winners. Nevertheless, Reid stressed that he would try to ensure that his players would approach the game with the right mindset.

"You can't go into a football match hoping to get a draw. We want to win the game even though a point is sufficient for us.

"It would not be an easy match. I watched them [Malaysia] play against Vietnam. They played well and were unfortunate to get beaten. They have strong players and play a high tempo game. They will be desperate to win the game and have to score many goals to have a chance of qualification.

"But, my team's confidence is sky high. We'll play with the same confidence level as usual. It should be an exciting game," said Reid.

Meanwhile, Werder Bremen's playmaker Diego has been banned for four games for grabbing the neck of a Karlsruhe player in Saturday's 1-0 loss.

The German football federation imposed the ban yesterday, one day after giving a three-match suspension to Bremen striker Claudio Pizarro.

Pizarro was sent off in the final minute of the game after hitting Karlsruhe player Martin Stoll in the face. Players from both sides then got into an altercation, with Diego grabbing the neck of Christian Eichner.