Steve McClaren the poor man's Eriksson?

[KURUPTION-81]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A21100366

Steve McClaren's rapid-fire soundbites failed to disguise the latest damning evidence that England may just have appointed a poor man's Sven-Goran Eriksson to direct their Euro 2008 fortunes.

Indeed, McClaren's reign is threatening to make the Swede's tenure resemble the most thrilling roller-coaster ride of goals, excitement and emotion in international football history.

McClaren is right to underscore England's missed chances and squandered superiority, but this was a dreadful display and one in keeping with what he has produced since succeeding Eriksson.

The coach talked big before the qualifier in Tel Aviv. He had laid the law down to his senior stars - it was, he stated endlessly, time to deliver.

Well, if those experienced players had been cattle-prodded into action by McClaren's harsh words, they could have fooled a watching, despairing nation.

And as for delivering... well England's furious fans inside the Ramat Gan stadium let them know what they thought they had delivered at the final whistle.

Steven Gerrard was an exception, sacrificing himself in the cause of McClaren's inability to simply play him in his best position.

Is it so difficult for an England coach to simply place arguably the world's finest central midfield player in central midfield?

Apparently it is. Mystifying.

In bursts, Aaron Lennon's pace also posed a threat.

But the rest was the same uninspired, lifeless fare that has been McClaren's stock in trade since he became a compromise appointment following the FA's failed flirtation with "Big Phil" Scolari.

Defensively England were relatively untested, in midfield they remain enigmatic, and up front Wayne Rooney was dreadful.

Rooney is a massive, talent, but in Tel Aviv England got the chippy, argumentative, ineffective version that has been witnessed too often on the international stage in recent times.

Israel massed their ranks behind the ball, confident they could keep an England side whose goals have dried up at bay.

And so it proved, with Andrew Johnson working tirelessly but still failing to open his England account.

Another of McClaren's favourite buzz-words is "passion" - so once again it says little for his inspirational qualities that this was singularly absent in Tel Aviv.

McClaren's job is not in danger. It cannot be after such a short period in charge.

But an uninspired appointment is producing uninspired performances and uninspiring results. The FA is reaping what it sowed so hastily before the World Cup.

Victory against Andorra is a must, and even an England team that has forgotten how to score should have their memory jogged in Barcelona.

Anything else is unthinkable, particularly for McClaren.

England's mythical status as a so-called world-class team was ruthlessly exposed in Germany and the hangover has continued into Euro 2008.

So far, they have been abysmal in this campaign, and Russia and Croatia have not been slow to steal a march.

And, on the evidence of Tel Aviv, time is running out for McClaren to prove he is not simply an inferior continuation of the Eriksson regime.

[bez]

I hate watching us now.  We have become a negative team. 

I slept all the way through the game I was that uninterested.

[Mac 10 †]

England the poor man's Brazil?

[ABN]

England should´ve kept Sven until his contract expired. especially since the FA is paying him like 15k$ a day until the summer anyway.

[KURUPTION-81]

England should´ve kept Sven until his contract expired. especially since the FA is paying him like 15k$ a day until the summer anyway.

i was one of the few people who liked sven, i thought for a long time that england are vastly overrated and that the job sven was doing was a good one. Always qualified with ease and continually reached the quarter final of the major tournoments..

[Boo-Yaa †]

English media/fans always expect far too much!

England should´ve kept Sven until his contract expired. especially since the FA is paying him like 15k$ a day until the summer anyway.

i was one of the few people who liked sven, i thought for a long time that england are vastly overrated and that the job sven was doing was a good one. Always qualified with ease and continually reached the quarter final of the major tournoments..

Yea, I thought he was a good manager!

Was on Beckham's nuts abit tho..