John Carver has admitted he was forced to take over Leeds United as interim manager in 2006.
The former Newcastle United caretaker stepped in at Elland Road after Kevin Blackwell was relieved of his duties.
Carver managed only one win and four defeats in his five games at the helm in an uninspiring tenure and he has now revealed he didn't want the temporary gig in the first place.
"Sometimes you've got no choice," he told BBC Sport.
"I didn't want to do it. I knew that the team we had wasn't going to get us out of trouble. But because I had a contract with the club, I couldn't refuse it - you've got a mortgage to pay.
"I had to go and meet Ken [Bates, Leeds' chairman at the time]. He said: 'You're getting no more money, but if you get us promoted I'll give you a massive bonus.' We were in the bottom three, so that was never going to happen."
"There's a reason why you get this role," Carver says. "It's either because the manager has been sacked or because the manager has had a better opportunity.
"Normally it's because they've been fired because results haven't been good enough. That group of players, the manager and the coaching staff have got into a bad position.
"People think, when you get a caretaker role, you're going to do all these things differently, but you're not.
"You were there as an assistant manager. When you're training every day, when you're preparing the team, it's you and the manager with your ideas.
"There might be small little tweaks you might do, but in general, when the team is in the position they are in and people blame the manager, the staff have to take the blame as well, because we've got them into that position. You're not going to do much different."
