Steve McClaren has been sacked as England coach after a 3-2 defeat by Croatia at Wembley saw his team blow a final chance to reach Euro 2008.
McClaren had said immediately after the game he had no intention of resigning but the FA took the decision to terminate his contract after a board meeting in London’s Soho Square on Thursday morning.
“The Board have agreed that there will now be a full root and branch examination of the whole England senior team set-up, which will begin with immediate effect,” the FA said in a statement.
The axe fell on McClaren — and his assistant Terry Venables — after the coach’s bold decision to bring in an inexperienced goalkeeper backfired in spectacular style, as a mistake from Scott Carson played a big part in the defeat.
Were the FA right to sack their coach? Do you think some of the senior players should be held responsible? Or is it time English football recognised more fundamental problems in the game? Please give us your views in the comments below.
PHOTO: McClaren watches during England’s defeat by Croatia at Wembley, November 21, 2007. REUTERS/Kieran Doherty
SLIDESHOW: Check out this page for more photos from England’s miserable night at Wembley.
UPDATE: This post was updated at 1000 GMT after FA confirmed McClaren had been sacked. Thanks for all the early responses, and please keep ‘em coming.
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England not good enough this time, but getting rid of a McClaren is a step in the right direction with the next World Cup in mind. It’s time to let half the team go as well, bringing in a few players from outside the top six or seven clubs (and Spurs).
- Posted by Dave xi hate him
- Posted by apexguess you guy’s just got brought back down to earth,surely very few English fans really thought they were good enough.you need some Scottish passion in your players as well as the backing of the tartan army.for too long now you have had the rub of the green the genie is tired out
- Posted by scottyEngland need someone who will really clean house, shake things up and who will not be intimidated by the old rules and old ways. Germany had a similar situation in 2002 and lucked out with Juergen Klinsmann, who used up a lot of capital fighting the system and got a lot of enemies along the way. But it was exactly what Germany needed then and, I think, what England need now.
- Posted by An England fanThe FA and the next coach need to ask themselves why so many of our top players underperform or are injured on England duty. The egos in the squad need a disciplinarian - look at the success that flowed for Man Utd after Ferguson got rid of the drinkers and the gamblers. England need to do the same. Remember the Taylor refuelling comments on Gazza and the infamous dentist’s chair and plane wrecking exploits ten years ago. Some of those just departing the current England set-up presided over that infamous era when another golden generation could have won Euro 96 but didn’t….if the next England coach doesn’t address the issues of nutrition and other off-field behaviour he’ll be as much a fraud as other recent incumbents…
- Posted by Paul PaynterMy self I am just so fed up with watching these over paid footballers, the whole football system is just so awash with punters out to make money, nothing to do with sport, or representing their Country. The manager gets the sack and is given £2,000,000 ……. for what , he laughing all the way to his retirement ……. oh well at least our magnificant footballers can put their feet up this summer, watch the Euro tournament without them, on the tele, and if they get bored with that they can accompany their lovely wifes out shopping
- Posted by Karl PitwonJames, thanks for your interesting comment. You may want to check out this piece my colleague Mitch Phillips has just filed:
- Posted by Kevin Fylanhttp://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2007/11/ 22/we-cant-just-keep-blaming-the-manager -can-we/
Yes, McLaren should be sacked … but then half the England squad so go as well. The only one making any effort was (and I hate to say this) Beckham. He seemed like the only player in an English shirt who could be bothered.
- Posted by JamesIn future, leave the superstars to their fast cars and let’s recruit English players who have the desire. And, as Kieran said above, look to the lower leagues as well. David Healey was a star for his country last year and he has only just got in the Premiership. I want to see players who are hungry and proud to represent and give their all for their country. You can keep the prima donnas who won’t risk an injury in case they miss out on a league match. Give me Joe “Run till I die” Bloggs from Accrington Stanley in an England shirt over Joe “Don’t mess my hairdo” Bloggs from Chelsea!
Unfortunately the reason that we have mediocre managers for the England job is that nobody wants this job.It is that simple!
- Posted by nickNot only do good premiership managers not want the poison chalice but they contribute to it by ensuring their players are “injured”, don’t run themselves ragged or are otherwise too busy. After all, what is the point of having your best players damaged in an England match and unable to get points for your team on a Premiership fixture?
Oh by the way, did anyone notice Venables sitting next to McClaren last night? For all his suggestions on how to win every game when he was a tv pundit he seemed distinctly out of ideas last night!
I feel that Englands failure to reach Euro 2008 is merely the product of a badly run and outdated organization - the FA. While the Premier league have gone from strength the strength the FA have gone backwards and failed to keep up with modern day international football. I hope that now we have some time on our hands that the FA will have a major shake up all the way through it to make it leaner and better run organization. But alas, what I expect will happen is firing McClaren will shield what really needs to be done and allow the press and public to focus on McClaren as the scapegoat and allow the FA to continue to blunder there way through the management of our football.
- Posted by AndyEngland are a great team - and mcclaren was a crap coach.
- Posted by Shah KhanPut a picture of Gorden Brown, Alistair Darling and Steve McLaren next to one another and ask ‘who inspires you most’….or are they all from the same mould!
- Posted by AlanClearly, player attitude is a problem and the comments above about the English Premiership players being bit-part players at their clubs rings true.
Personally, I would seriously consider players from the lower leagues. Some of them are not much less skilled than their premiership counterparts. After all, the problem here is a coherent team - not individual skill. Als, not being mult-millionaires they may actually have a passion for wearing the England shirt.
Look at Leeds United this season - if an England side had half of that passion I would watch them - win lose or draw.
- Posted by Kieran O'ConnorGood point about the huge pay-off, John and Madeline. It seems incredible that you can walk away with so much after having acheived basically nothing.
- Posted by Kevin FylanYou can compare the England squad with our civil servants, with abject failure they will still get paid for doing nothing.
- Posted by Richard Vanbergen