Darren Clarke admits either he or Paul McGinley are going to be left disappointed at the decision next January to appoint the 2014 European Ryder Cup captain.

Clarke, speaking on the Late Late Show on RTÉ One, stated he hoped to be in contention as a player for Gleneagles but if not he would like to take the role as captain.

Ireland’s Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley – one will be very disappointed next January when an annoucement of the 2014 Ryder Cup captain is made. (Photo – Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)

The Tournament Players Committee will meet ahead of January’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on a replacement for Jose Maria Olazabal.”I would much prefer to be a player,” said Clarke.

“It is not quite the same. The past couple of competitions I have been vice-captain and it is not the same.

“It is great, the atmosphere is great, but you’re not hitting a shot. It is not the same. You basically go there and you stand holding the toilet doors for the guys to let them come in and out! It is one of those sort of things.

“It is an awkward position right now because we have my good friend Paul McGinley and myself both vying for the same position. One of the two of us is going to miss out which is going to be disappointing.

“But the way to look at it is we are two of the main candidates and Ireland is going to have its first Ryder Cup captain. Whichever one of us it is, the other one of us will be disappointed, but we’re going to have an Irish captain.”

The majority of European Ryder Cup players canvassed by www.golfbytourmiss.com support McGinley as the best replacement for Olazabal.

While the view also is that Clarke, who is far more popular in the United States, would be be suited as European Team captain in 2016 at Hazeltine.