Steve McClaren

Post by **caller** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 4:04 am

Sack him!

As an England manager, he is as inspirational as a piece of wet lettuce.

To hear him talk after tonights game, which we dominated, it was so easy, but didn't win, as a player, would give me no confidence.

He leaves one of the best left sided players in the country out of his squad - Barry, calls him up due to injuries, but then plays a right footed player instead, an average one at that - Carragher. In front of him, he places Lennon, who plays, er, on the right for Spurs, terrorising defences of the highest level - tonight? Two fish out of water. So that was the left not sorted.

On the right he plays Phil Neville, solid but unadventorous. With 20 or so minutes left he replaces him with Richards, a great prospect, but he's been injured.

The twat finally removes Lennon, to bring on Downing, that well known average left winger he used to manage, whose impact, predictably, was zilch.

Finally, he removes Johnson for Defoe. Now I know that the special one mentioned Johnson as one of the few English forwards that could stretch defences in the way that Owen does (come back soon, pleeease!) but he is no Michael Owen - his level is Everton. In the 10 minutes Defoe had, he looked classier than Johnson is capable of ever showing.

It makes me question who was actually picking the team when the Swede was manager, as he did the same. I can't believe Venebles has any say in it?

And after putting out such a disjointed team, he blamed, er, the players. Rightly or wrongly that is a shite, cheap thing to do.

Sack him I say - and put Venables back in charge for the duration.

Post by **caller** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 4:15 am

I have obviously crossed posts with BB, someone wanna put them together?

Post by **Big Boy** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 4:23 am

caller,

My attempt at joining our 2 threads - now to try and delete my original. (it worked)

I hope for your own sakes that none of you guys in Thailand actually stayed up and endured another lack lustre England performance against 3rd rate opposition. You have to wonder if the English FA actually want success. In the past (first time 5 May 06) I've written the following a couple of times:

How do they expect a manager from a 2nd rate team, whose best achievement is to get to the final of the European Losers Cup, to lead our nation to victory in 2010?

I seem to remember his current set of loyal supporters screaming for his head earlier this season.

If you don't set your sights high enough from the outset, you can't expect to succeed

Forget 2010, at this rate he'll have England outcast into the football wilderness by the end of this year!! I know that a lot of you guys didn't rate

Sven

, but in comparison he was a footballing genius!

Post by **JimmyGreaves** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 4:57 am

I've said it many times, England are not a team but a set of individuals, they have been for many many years. They all talk about pride of playing for the shirt but none of them do!

Post by **Big Boy** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 5:14 am

Jimmy,

I don't think I'd agree based on tonight's showing. They played very well as a team, but only around the half way line. They must have been directed to play that way by the ?manager? - there is no way that they would have played that way if playing as individuals. Somebody on a recent thread stated the team that scores the most goals is the best. The way England are playing over the last few games, they'll never be best again.

Post by **caller** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 5:17 am

JG, at another time, I might have agreed with you, but not tonight!

I really felt there was a desire. It was a good performance bar the goals, the fact Lamps came closest is an ongoing worry - and Gerrard on the right? Nah! Get him in there where it needs to be sorted.

We really should be doing better, but a manager of the highest calibre is needed. We don't have that. The FA have FA'd again if you know what I mean?

Play Rooney deeper, give freedom of expression, get the players we have and that includes Becks post capitan, to do their thing - as well as others and we could be okay.

But we have a dictaphone in charge and his batteries gone flat to match his northern vowels.

Post by **caller** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 5:24 am

Okay BB, I propose that you and I manage the team to get it to achieve as it should!

Seemingly, small mac is incapable - notice how he has become isolated, even amongst the staff he chose?

There weren't many on the touchline giving him their support.

Post by **Big Boy** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 5:34 am

I even thought the one shot of Venables looked like somebody holding a face mask on a stick in front of his face. Obviously too embarrassed to be part of what's going on.

Post by **caller** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 6:56 am

Right, thats sorted, now lets think about the cricket!

Post by **Jockey** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 7:12 am

England have still to play Croatia, Russia and Israel at home. They should be favourites to win all 3 and qualify. Scotland top their group against France, Ukraine and Italy - all of whom will over take us. I wouldn't worry too much and stop thinking England should win every game. They played OK away from home against a competent team and never got the breaks.

Post by **Wanderlust** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 11:26 am

To a certain extent you are right Jockey, but it was a lacklustre performance and a tactically poor one, unless they were playing for a draw. McLaren played Johnson and Rooney up front, neither of whom are known for any prowess in the air, and yet employed a winger (Lennon, out of position on the left) who did make a couple of promising runs but then his final ball sailed over their heads or was pulled back to nobody. On the right we only appeared to have Neville and occasionally Gerrard (who given his ability should be allowed to roam but is more effective starting in the middle). The other midfielders, Lampard and Hargreaves, were extremely negative most of the time, the latter understandably as the holding midfielder, but Lampard looks like a fish out of water at international level, and has done for some time. The back four and keeper were relatively untroubled, despite the fears that the full backs would be exposed, although it would have been nice to have seen Barry or Baines at left back. Basically team selection and tactics were poor, and if we get turned over on Wednesday, which could easily happen, McLaren should be sacked. Actually he should never have been appointed and I would sack him now!

Post by **Big Boy** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 1:56 pm

Jockey wrote:

They played OK away from home against a competent team and never got the breaks.

I am truly touched, that's the nicest thing I've ever heard a Scotsman say about English football - thank you.

They should be favourites to win all 3 and qualify.

Any team with aspirations to do well in this competition need to be doing a lot better than England are at the moment. With McLaren at the helm, they seem to have completely lost their direction, and don't seem to have any idea of how to attack the opposition's goal. Any chances are coming through individual brilliance - unfortunately there isn't much of that at the moment.

Post by **Jockey** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 2:12 pm

If anyone gets the sack, surely the first people should be the men or man who appointed McLaren. I believe Sven was paid millions AFTER he left. Was it the same man (or people who appointed Sven, AND Taylor AND Keegan?) The best boss you've ever had I can think of is Bobby Robson. That's going back a bit. The men who appointed McLaren haven't got an excuse. They pay off a failed manager of whom they paid millions and then appoint his second in command! Come on! Martin O'Neill applied for the job. Somehow you can imagine a combination of Martin and the England players lifting a major trophy. All you can imagine from McLaren is poor excuses. Why can't the people in the "ivory towers" see that. (On saying that I still think England will qualify).

Post by **Big Boy** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 3:02 pm

Jockey wrote:

I still think England will qualify

Careful, this is becoming a habit.

Seriously, I think we'll have to wait and see how they do against the footballing giants of Andorra - if they don't bag a bucketful on Wednesday, then I don't think there is much point carrying on.

Post by **Jockey** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 3:30 pm

Big Boy wrote:Jockey wrote:
I still think England will qualify
Careful, this is becoming a habit.

Seriously, I think we'll have to wait and see how they do against the footballing giants of Andorra - if they don't bag a bucketful on Wednesday, then I don't think there is much point carrying on.

English supporters are Schizo - either completely forecasting disaster and impending doom or over optimistic "we are the best in the world". The reality is your team tends to drift between roughly 6th and 12th best in the world. Let me help you put this result in perspective. If Man Utd or Chelsea went to Israe to play Tel Aviv in a two-legged european competition, coming away with a 0-0 draw is hardly a terrible result.