Shevchenko wants Blokhin to stay

Ukraine striker Andriy Shev-chenko said he wanted national coach Oleg Blokhin to stay on despite his pledge to quit if Ukraine failed to make it into the Euro 2008 finals, Ukraine media reported yesterday.

Shevchenko, quoted by Sport Express newspaper, said the team's coaches were not wholly to blame for Ukraine's failure to qualify for next year's European Championship finals, which was sealed with Saturday's 3-1 defeat to Scotland at Hampden.

"I would not like the coaching staff to be seen as the main guilty party," the Chelsea striker told the newspaper.

"We got into the World Cup finals and did well and got off to a good start in the European qualifiers. Something happened in the last few months.

"Let's make it clear that Blokhin is behind the brightest spots in the history of Ukrainian soccer, things never seen before.

"I would like him to stay on as national coach."

Blokhin, European player of the year in 1975 and revered as a sporting hero in Ukraine, has coached the national team since 2003.

Last week, in the run-up to the Scotland match, he said he would quit if the side, by then facing long odds, did not make it to the finals. But after the match in Glasgow, he appeared to go back on his threat.

"I am not shirking responsibility for the outcome of today's match or for the results of the qualifying matches as a whole," Ukrainian media quoted him as saying.

"But life goes on. We have to look forward and get ready for the remaining matches."