One Last Steve McClaren Rant (England National Football Team)

Name: Jake Speed

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Product:	England National Football Team
Date:	29/11/07 (210 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: He's gone

Disadvantages: He buggered up our qualification

Minutes after England's chav millionaires had crashed out of Euro 2008 (at the qualification stage no less) everyone was railing against foreign imports, the way we coach young players and children, bemoaning our lack of technique etc. The general consensus seemed to be that we were now a third world football power and would be lucky to qualify for anything ever again. And yet, the same group of players had got to the last eight of the world cup, only losing on penalties, and should have turfed over a mediocre Portugal team to make the last four. Barring Graham Taylor's eccentric and comical turn as England boss in the early nineties, qualification has been expected as the bare minimum. My own opinion is that Croatia and Russia, the two teams going to Euro 2008 instead of England, are both very average and England should have won the group with ease. The reason England didn't win the group has nothing to do with foreign imports or the way we coach ten year olds. In my opinion it came down to Steve McClaren. We effectively shot ourselves in the foot when we appointed him to replace Sven.

I don't remember hearing a single person on the radio phone-ins at the time support McClaren getting the job. The reaction of most people was to groan. The press were agaisnt him from day one because they knew he was out of his depth and they wanted a big character to spar with and enjoy, someone with charisma and a bit of wit. McClaren, with his annoying voice and capped teeth (always giving the impression of a goofy slightly gormless grin) was just not up to it on any level. Uninspiring, dull and completely out of his depth on the pitch. Right from the start he was seen as Sven's no 2 and struggled to impose his own identity. He immediately dropped Beckham from the squad to signal his intent. The subtext was clear; this is a new era and I am no longer going to pander to the Beckham circus. It didn't take long for McClaren to realise that the ability to cross the ball accurately was something his team probably needed to do a few times to score some goals and qualify. So back came Beckham, afterall he was only 32 and his vast experience and passion was sorely missed, but McClaren's authority was undermined and he looked indecisive. Most people said, "Why not just pick Beckham in the squad and stick him on the bench in case you need him?" This compromise solution only seemed to occur to McClaren in the last match.

The damage of course was done early in the campaign. England were always trying to catch the others up, especially after the woeful performance away to Croatia where McClaren decided to play a 3-5-2. England have played this system before in tournaments in the past and done well. I don't believe there is any one traditional system that England should always play and have often felt three centre-backs was worth looking at again with our recent glut of central defenders. The thing is though, you try this in a friendly or two. You don't suddenly get out of bed for a qualifier and change the system to a 3-5-2! Also, the most important players in a 3-5-2 are the 'wing-backs'. They are going to give you the 'get go' and the width, freed (in theory) by the security of three centre-backs. And who were our 'wing-backs' that day? Yes, the Neville brothers! I have a lot of time for Gary Neville but wing-back he is not, especially in the twilight of his career. As for Phil Neville, we established he was rubbish waaay back at Euro 2000. Heaven knows why he was in virtually every MClaren squad. Agaisnt Croatia McClaren's team ended up scrunched into a 5-3-2 formation with a far too defensive midfield. It looked like a prime example of someone who has no idea what he is doing, trying to be 'clever' and was reminicscent of Graham Taylor's similar tactical shambles agaisnt Norway in 1993.

Let's be honest, if Sven had been in charge he's have kept it simple and we'd have qualified easily. Sure, Sven would have buggered up the knock-out stage with his hopeless substitutions and inability to work out a Plan B but at least we'd have qualified. One of the many aspects of the Croatia game at Wembley that annoyed me was McClaren's inabilty to change things early. England were 2-0 down and a complete shambles right from the start but McClaren stood there with an umbrella and cup of coffee, looking bemused. Can you imagine Big Phil Scholari or Martin O'Neil being so quiet and emotionless in that situation? One of his problems that night was that his team had no idea what they were doing or what formation they were playing. McClaren, typically, had decided to shoehorn Frank Lampard back into the team despite establishing (by accident) that England were best balanced by a Gerrard-Barry midfield pair for the time being. He stuck the Chelsea prima donna back into a team that attempted (and I use this word loosely) to have a stab at a 4-3-3. With Crouch up front on his own we soon resorted to pinging long balls up to him. Lampard and Barry seemed to have no idea what was going on as Steven Gerrard ran around like a headless chicken to no effect. Shaun Wright-Phillips gave it a bit of a go on his muddy right-wing, running into several blind-alleys before being dragged off at half-time. The other wing was largely empty. If SWP seemed to be playing in a 4-4-2, Joe Cole was playing in another system altogether. Wayne Bridge, now completely exposed down the left and never much of a player to start with, had the sort of match he will wince about for years to come.

There are things that need adjusting in our football. The Academy they mothballed to bankroll Wembley needs to be activated again. More English players in the Pemier League can only be a good thing. But, ultimately, the England team is a core group of twenty or so players and a coach. I believe that if that coach is selected wisely England will always have the wherewithall to get to tournaments and give it a decent go.

Steve McClaren, prior to a flukey UEFA cup run where Boro seemed to come from 3-0 down in every game, was not that far from getting the sack. Months later and that buffoon at the FA is appointing him as England coach and telling us he was first choice despite them being caught red-handed abroad trying to persuade Schloari to do the job. Incidently, a lot of people like Howard Wilkinson had a good moan about the Scholari approach and were agahst at the prospect of another foreign coach. Well, you got your way Howard, and now I hope no one listens to you again. Who cares what country the coach comes from? Just get the best man.

My choice last time was always Gus Hiddink. He's performed miracles with weaker nations. He got South Korea to a WC semi-final and Australia to the knock-out phases where they gave the Italians a very tough game. Imagine what he could have done with England. Hiddink is out of the running now, off to Euro 2008 with Russia. So who would I appoint as England boss this time? To be honest anyone has to be better than Steve McClaren, but I would prefer a foreign coach who is widely respected for his tactical ability. I'm not entirely convinced by the clamour for Redknapp or O'Neill. O'Neill, for me, has really struggled at Aston Villa, and Redknapp, while a great motivator, has not proved himself in European football. If Mourinho could somehow be tempted I'd have no problem. The 'Portugese Brian Clough' has not an awful lot to prove after Porto and Chelsea, and is the 'big character' England need and deserve. Mourinho has a charismatic authority that a McClaren can only dream about. Failing Mourinho, I might just go for Capello. His record is peerless. Cappello would not be afraid to make decisions and ruffle a few egos and England need that now.

That and a coach who actually knows what he is doing.

Summary: The next man can't be any worse