Steve McClaren
Profile of England’s new head coach, Steve McClaren
After nearly four months of wrangling, the FA finally announced on May 4 that Steve McClaren, current assistant to England head coach Sven Goran Eriksson, will be the next England manager. Steve McClaren was delighted at the chance of football’s biggest job and, more importantly for English fans, the job rests on English shoulders once again.
Background
Steve McClaren was born on May 3, 1961, in York, England. He went to Nunthorpe Grammar School where he was always active in sports, with a keen interest in squash, tennis, and rugby. Football was his greatest love, however, and he would go on to join Hull City (Yorkshire) in 1977 at the age of 16.
Football Career
Steve McClaren played as a midfielder for 13 years with a string of English lower league sides. He went on to play for Derby County after leaving Hull City, followed by Lincoln City (on loan), Bristol City and Oxford United. McClaren’s playing days were over in 1990, however, when constant injury forced him to retire.
Coaching Career
It wasn’t long after ending his playing career that Steve McClaren went into coaching, where he would become reserve team coach at Oxford. In 1995, he moved up the ladder to become Oxford’s first-team coach and then onto Derby County where he was assistant manager under Jim Smith. McClaren then moved up a gear and into the Premiership in 1999 as assistant manager to Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United.
Two years later in the summer of 2001, Steve McClaren was offered the position of manager of Premiership team Middlesbrough. His success at Middlesbrough speaks for itself, reaching an FA Cup semi-final and then went on to win Middlesbrough’s first ever major honour, with the League Cup win in 2004 against Bolton Wanderers.
This feat brought Middlesbrough into European football for the first time and also attracted many big names to the club, including England and Arsenal’s Ray Parlour. McClaren took them into Europe for a second successive year by finishing 7th in the Premiership in the 2004/2005 season. They then narrowly lost to West Ham United in the 2005/2006 semi-final of the FA Cup, but made the UEFA Cup final 2006.
McClaren and England
Steve McClaren became assistant manager of the England national side to caretaker Peter Taylor in 2000, before being granted the permanent position under Sven Goran Eriksson.
After Eriksson announced that he would be stepping down as England manager in February 2006, under much controversy, McClaren was on the shortlist for the coveted position. Other possible favourites included Martin O'Neill, Sam Allardyce, Alan Curbishley and Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Scolari was eventually offered the job but turned it down under the weight of the press and possibly for other reasons, so it was later announced that McClaren would be the new head coach on May 4, 2006.
Some notable football personalities, including Alan Hanson, have questioned the FA’s selection process and the final outcome, although Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Trevor Brooking say he’s the right man for the job. Time will tell.
Steve McClaren is due to begin a four-year contract as England head coach on August 1, 2006, and his first task will be a friendly against European champions, Greece.
