LONDON - Steve McClaren paid the price of England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008 yesterday when he was unceremoniously dismissed from his position as head coach.
Ex-England soccer manager Steve McClaren listens to questions at a news conference at a hotel in St. Albans, north of London, November 22, 2007. McClaren took full responsibility on Thursday for England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008 and said being sacked as manager was one of the saddest days of his career. [Agencies] McClaren, who had refused to resign, was sacked less than 12 hours after a 3-2 win for Croatia at Wembley - combined with Russia's 1-0 win in Andorra - confirmed that England would miss out on a major tournament for the first time since the 1994 World Cup in the United States.
An emergency meeting of the Football Association (FA)'s Executive Board was wound up almost as soon as it began with McClaren's employers unanimously agreeing that they had no option but to call an end to the former Middlesbrough manager's hapless 15-month reign.
McClaren's assistant Terry Venables was also sacked as the FA pledged a "root and branch" inquest into how an England squad that can call upon some of the biggest names in world football had failed to get through a group that was regarded as easily negotiable when the qualifying draw was made two years ago.
FA Chief Executive Brian Barwick, the man who appointed McClaren and gave him a four-year contract with no penalties for failure, said the board had been left with no alternative.
"In the end, not qualifying for Euro 2008 comes up short," Barwick said. "Qualification for a major tournament is probably a minimum requirement."
The FA said it would immediately begin a search for a successor to McClaren but, with England having no scheduled matches before a friendly in France in March, has set no timeframe on the selection process.
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill, who was a candidate for the position when McClaren got the job in the wake of the 2006 World Cup, is regarded as the best-placed candidate. Villa owner Randy Lerner has indicated that he will not stand in his way if he wants to take on the role.
The FA will inevitably also look at the possibility of approaching Jose Mourinho, who has been out of work since leaving Chelsea in September, but it must be doubtful whether he would want the job and whether the governing body would be able or willing to handle such a controversial figure.
McClaren, who stepped up from his former role as number two to Sven Goran Eriksson in the wake of the last World Cup, was handicapped from the start by a feeling that he was both a natural number two and a second-choice appointment, the FA having bungled approaches to both Guus Hiddink and Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Although McClaren refused to resign immediately after he and his players were booed off the Wembley turf by an angry capacity crowd, he did agree that he had to take responsibility for his squad's failure.
"It is an indescribable pain," McClaren said. "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.
"I take responsibility. Ultimately, I said judge me over 12 games. We deserve to be where we finish and we have not deserved to qualify. That is my responsibility."
Those remarks suggest McClaren knew that his fate was sealed. By refusing to resign however he ensured that his employers would be obliged to pay him off for the remaining two years of his contract.
Having presided over a qualifying campaign in which England lost three out of 12 matches as well as being held to draws in Israel and - ultimately fatally - at home to Macedonia, McClaren will walk away with a severence payment in the region of 2.5 million pounds ($5.1 million).
That particular bill will take the total cost of his time in charge to more than 10 million pounds - missing out on Euro 2008 will cost the FA a minimum of eight million pounds in prize money and television revenue.
In the long-term, the losses could be many times that figure because of the damage the debacle of the qualifying campaign has done to the brand value of what was once regarded as a 'golden' generation of England players.
McClaren's chronology
Date of birth: 03/05/61 Birthplace: York, England
England record: Played 18, Won 9, Drew 4, Lost 5
August 2006 - Appointed England manager as successor to Sven Goran Eriksson following England's run to the World Cup quarterfinals in Germany.
August 2006 - Wins first match as England beats Greece 4-0 in a friendly.
September 2006 - Gets Euro 2008 qualifying campaign off to flying start with back-to-back victories over Andorra and Macedonia.
October 2006 - First signs of the crisis to come as Macedonia holds out for an embarrassing 0-0 draw at Old Trafford.
October 2006 - Gambles by changing formation to 5-3-2 for crucial match in Croatia. The decision backfires as Paul Robinson's howler sets England spinning to a 2-0 loss.
March 2007 - Only managing a goalless draw in Israel leaves England's Euro 2008 hopes in the balance.
March 2007 - A woeful first-half performance against Andorra sees McClaren subjected to vitrolic abuse by supporters, but Steven Gerrard inspires a 3-0 win after the break.
September 2007 - Makes brave decision to bring back Emile Heskey and is rewarded as Israel and Russia are swept aside at Wembley in successive 3-0 wins.
October 2007 - After a comfortable 3-0 win over Estonia, England goes to Russia needing a point to keep its fate in its own hands. But McClaren is left to rue "four mad minutes" as England loses 2-1.
November 2007 - His luck finally appears to have changed for the better as Israel's win over Russia means England can qualify for Euro 2008 with a draw against Croatia.
这些迹象表明另一半比你以为的更爱你
国际英语资讯:UK politician calls for answers on use of child spies
Don’t Let Weibo Control Your Life 不要让微博控制你的生活
注意!这8个日常习惯正在偷偷地伤害你的眼睛!
国际英语资讯:Nigerian troops hand over 23 rescued children to UNICEF
体坛英语资讯:Huescas Leo Franco, first managerial casualty of the season
国际英语资讯:Trumps military parade estimated to cost 92 mln dollars
国内英语资讯:China promises new measures to boost private investment for steady growth
国内英语资讯:Senior CPC official urges common prosperity of Chinese language press
体坛英语资讯:Britains Peaty breaks mens 100m breaststroke world record
国际英语资讯:Spotlight: Yemens Aden faces escalating faction after attack by southern separatist forces
体坛英语资讯:Stuttgart appoint Weinzierl as new coach
coach宣布禁用动物皮毛!时尚越来越环保了
国际英语资讯:Pakistan army chief confirms death penalty of 15 hardcore terrorists
科普小知识 味精对人的身体并没有害处
The Importance of Education 教育重要性之我见
国内英语资讯:Chinese official stresses importance of Xis discourses on poverty relief
国际英语资讯:London car attack suspect charged with attempted murder
体坛英语资讯:Sakkari rallies to beat Collins for first career final in WTA San Jose
国内英语资讯:CPC leaders hear reports on defective vaccine investigation
国际英语资讯:U.S. rolls out Iran Action Group to pressure Iran
时间将会证明一切
研究显示 人越老越难认识错误
国内英语资讯:Xinhua Headlines: China ready to host worlds 1st import expo
国内英语资讯:Reform and opening-up successful, Hong Kong playing key role: experts
国内英语资讯:Chinese state councilor meets with Pakistans senate chairman
国内英语资讯:State Council: guilty producers to be severely punished, officials held accountable for subs
Playing Team Sports Is Good for Students 参加集体运动对学生有益
体坛英语资讯:Japans Kitazono relishing comparisons with gymnastics legend
家长应掌握这些谎言
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |