McClaren a 'better England coach than when I started'
Steve McClaren insists he is a better England coach now than when
he first took the job.
McClaren has been under intense pressure ever since he suffered his first
defeat since succeeding Sven-Goran Eriksson against Croatia in October.
A friendly loss to Spain at Old Trafford last month did not do much to
convince anyone McClaren can guide England to long awaited glory and failure
in Israel on Saturday is certain to bring fresh calls for him to go.
However, McClaren remains confident in his ability to do the job and the
former Middlesbrough boss feels eight months in the England job has provided
invaluable experience for the future.
'I am definitely a better England coach than when I took the job,' he
said.
'When we won our first three games and everything was going well I said
the job will only start when we lose. Then we got beaten.
'I have learned a lot about the job since then but there is still a long
way to go.'
With England currently out of the two qualifying places in Group E, McClaren
knows his side cannot realistically afford to lose in Tel Aviv if they
are to reach next summer's European Championships in Austria and Switzerland.
Given the position he finds himself in, McClaren could be forgiven for
nursing a sense of anxiety as he faces a trip many believe could prove
pivotal to his long-term job prospects.
Instead, he appears more relaxed than at any point since he succeeded
Eriksson after the World Cup.
'I am relaxed because I have great belief and great trust in these players,'
he said. 'I know what they can do.
'Yes, we had a disappointing World Cup and we have had disappointing games
since.
'But there is enough ability and potential in our side to be better than
we are at the moment.
'I am sure it will only take one good result for things to settle down
a little bit. But we can talk about it all we want, we have to go out
and prove it.'
With 11 of his squad taking part in FA Cup replays on Monday, McClaren
was forced to cancel a planned training session at Arsenal's London Colney
base, meaning England's first meaningful workout will be an historic one
at Wembley this afternoon.
Even that will be more for the cameras than anything else, so much of
the preparation for Israel will centre around McClaren's motivational
abilities, with that nasty night in Zagreb likely to be among the points
to discuss.
'The past is motivation,' he said. 'We need to do better and it has to
start on Saturday.
'But I do feel we have moved on from that night in Croatia. We have looked
at things and now there is a real determination amongst everybody, the
players and the staff, to get the job done.
'We know that we have eight qualifying games left. The goal is qualification,
that is what we are working towards.'
McClaren will be awaiting the results of tests which Manchester City defender
Micah Richards was due to have yesterday on a calf injury.
,
March 21, 2007.
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