Express Mortgages Express Loans Bingo Lose Weight Franchising Dating Shopping Book Shop Find Spare Parts Cut Your Bills Wine Shop Legal Store FlatShare Cruises

Columnists

OTHER SPORT

MCCLAREN AND VENABLES SACKED

GONE: McClaren and Venables

Thursday November 22,2007

By Emily Garnham for express.co.uk

Comment Speech Bubble Have your say(6)

THE fate of Steve McClaren and Terry Venables was officially sealed in just an hour and a half by a unanimous decision from Football Association bosses this morning.

The joint reign of the England manager and his assistant was brought to an abrupt end at 10am today after last night's humiliating match which saw the hopes of the nation brutally crushed.

A statement read by FA Chairman Geoff Thompson said: " The FA have unanimously decided to terminate the contract of coach Steve McClaren with immediate effect.

FA chairman Geoff Thompson

In a shocking twist he added: "We have also terminated the contract of assistant Terry Venables."

"Like every England fan, we are all bitterly disappointed that we have failed to qualify for Euro 2008.

“I know that Steve feels that disappointment more than anyone.”

HUMILIATED

Thompson admitted the failure to qualify was embarrassing to the governing body.

FA Chief Executive Brian Barwick

“Of course we feel embarrassed.

“As we said earlier we expect as a major nation in Europe to qualify for the European Championships and World Cups. Of course we’re embarrassed, disappointed, disappointed like all fans,” he said.

SACKED: McClaren's reign has come to an end

The chairman added there would be "a full root and branch examination" of the arrangements of the senior team led by FA chief executive Brian Barwick.

APOLOGY

Barwick apologised to fans personally and added: “I care about this passionately. I’m in this job because I care about football and football fans and football teams.

“I understand that we have let them down and I apologise for that.”

After last night's humiliating defeat McClaren said: "It is an indescribable pain.

"There is so much expectation, both from the fans in the stadium and the people watching on TV at home. We have let them down. We know what they are feeling - we are feeling exactly the same."

LOSS

Brian Barwick admitted the search for a new manager would be handled differently but urged they would get it right.

“The recruitment process for the new coach begins now and we will do everything to get the right man for the job,” he said.

“It will be done differently. We’ve got to learn lessons from the way we did it.”

Asked about the financial loss, Barwick said: “To the FA, less than £5million.”

FANS

There were mixed responses from angry fans who believe that more heads should roll: "Why don't the FA board resign? They've shown as much arrogance and incompetence as McClaren," said one.

FA board members sealed the managers' fates at 8.30am after England's shattering defeat by Croatia at Wembley, at an emergency meeting in Soho Square in London.

The inevitable news from the press conference at FA headquarters came after McClaren refused to resign immediately after last night's qualifier.

It is understood that the ex-manager will receive a £2.5million payoff for what he has described as "the saddest day of my career."

Despite England scoring twice in nine minutes, the humiliating final score was 3-2 to Croatia.

"Don't blame McClaren, blame the nervous, short-sighted halfwits at the FA"
CLICK ABOVE TO READ OUR DEVASTATING VERDICT ON THE SHAMBLES

THE RIGHT DECISION....BUT THERE'S MORE

22.11.07, 7:51pm

Quite right too that this pair of clowns should get the boot, but just think for a minute....shouldn't the whole bloody team be given their marching orders.
Never before have a bunch of useless has-beens ever let their country down as badly as this lot. They played like big girls....no one had any idea about plan, formation, tactics nothing.
They ran round the field like busy fools kicking the ball anywhere. If this is the best we have to offer then english football's hope for the future
is in the gutter. Too long have Lampard and Gerrard, Ferdinand and Owen been regailed, we need new young blood. Men that want to play for their country with every fibre in their body, not old farts who think they have a right to be there. A new manager, a new team, and some fresh ideas with joined up thinking.

• Posted by: Dixie2 • Report Comment

MCCLAREN AND VENABLES SACKED

22.11.07, 3:13pm

theres no doubt its thompson and barwick who should go.
they are responsible for the appointment.
niether of them are qualified or capable of doing the job as their record shows.
they are really rarther sad people who blame everyone but themselves.
its time to change or we will go bumbling on with these incapable people.

• Posted by: djw123 • Report Comment

MCLAREN & VENABLES SACKED

22.11.07, 2:34pm

What a fickle lot the majority of the press and so called England football supporters are, all calling ( and getting) the sack for Steve Mclaren. But for 2 goalkeeping errors ( ironically in each game against Croatia), England would now be in the Finals and Mclaren would be hailed a hero. We are now having to look at a foreign manager to replace him but he is the best ENGLISH manager available and if you don't believe me then ask the players they will tell you, Maclaren was just unlucky. So get off his back and crawl back into your holes.

• Posted by: lespancott754 • Report Comment

WHY OH WHY?

22.11.07, 12:43pm

Once again the knives are out. I am always amused by the attitude of the footballing fraternity. Always looking for someone to blame. I knew while watching the game last night exactly what the reaction would be if England lost. The TV pundits, the fans and the journalists all spoke of blame and heads rolling. What they didn't acknowledge was that England are not a major force in football anymore, they have no divine right to qualify for any of the major football competition finals. They are simply not good enough. The fans interviewed were of the opinion that the Premiership is the top football league in the world. Rubbish! It is only producing reasonably good football because of the imported players and a small number of home grown talent. The discussion had already started last night about who would replace McLaren. I know one thing, his replacement will come from the same incestuous pool of footballing has -beens who are at present running premiership teams. Every time one gets sacked for incompetence he is then snapped up by another club who are also sacking their incompetent manager but see the replacement as being 'new blood'. It doesn't matter who gets the job they will only last as long as their success. There is no time to build for the future so they play the same old tried (or should I say tired) and tested 'overpaid stars'.
Come on England, break the mould. Appoint someone who can grow in the job and who can grow a decent team by developing young talent.Supporters need to accept that this is not their 'moment in time' and let the man get on with the job of building for the future.
Take a leaf out of the rugby fans book. When they were interviewed after the disappointment of their world cup final they were maganimous to a man about their opponents superior performance. They also acknowledged that they didn't really have anywhere near the best team in the tournament and that they were delighted to even have reached the final. Now that is sportsmanship! Come on England ,(football supporters) grow up.

• Posted by: BEEGEE • Report Comment

£2.5M WHY?

22.11.07, 12:36pm

McClaren has been given a £2.5m payout along with his sacking, Why? Just why is it, that when people in high earning jobs get such crazy sums of money for making a balls of things? If I ever made a mistake at work I got a right old bollocking and told if I did it again I would be sacked, with no fancy pay off. For a change, they can't blame this latest display on Broon even though neither could run a bloody tap.

• Posted by: snaredrum • Report Comment

GOT MORE THAN THEY DESERVE

22.11.07, 12:35pm

GIVING STEVE MCLAREN £2.500 .000 iIS MADNESS. THE FOOTBALLERS ARE PAID TOO MUCH AS WELL. I HAVE NEVER SEEN A TEAM PLAY SO BADLY, EXCEPT WHEN I WAS AT SCHOOL. THE TOP LEADERS IN THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION SHOULD BE GIVEN THE PUSH AS WELL. I ONLY WISH WE CAN GET SOMEBODY WHO REALLY KNOW HOW TO BUILD A GOOD TEAM. I WOULD PAY THE FOOTBALLERS BY HOW THEY GET ON WITH THE MATCHES. REGARDS. HAL

• Posted by: chilvers12 • Report Comment