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Sol Campbell thinks football clubs are "scared" to employ him and believes he is one of "football's greatest minds".

Former Arsenal Invincible star Campbell applied for the Oxford job to replace Pep Clotet this week, but was beaten to the role by Craig Bellamy.

Welshman Bellamy, who starred for Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester City, was seen as the better option after gaining experience as an academy coach at Cardiff before giving an impressive interview.

Meanwhile, Campbell's only coaching experience came last year as assistant manager to Trinidad and Tobago's chief Dennis Lawrence.

(Image: Getty Images)

Despite his lack of involvement with professional footballers since his retirement seven years ago, Campbell insists running a Football League club isn't "rocket science" and thinks he will thrive at that level.

Campbell told Highbury & Heels: "I did go (for the Oxford job) and they didn't accept me.

"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.

"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.

(Image: Cardiff City FC)

"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."