McClaren needs goals from England in Euro 2008 qualifier
against Andorra
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - England needs goals - lots of them - in Wednesday's
European Championship qualifier against Andorra.
England's poor Euro 2008 campaign, which continued Saturday with a 0-0
draw in Israel, has brought scathing media criticism on England coach
Steve McClaren.
"We've underperformed a little bit in the last few games, but as
a group we are fully behind the manager," England captain John Terry
said of McClaren. "It's not nice what we are hearing but he is the
right man for the job 100 per cent."
Andorra, a tiny principality in the mountains between Spain and France,
has been outscored 19-1 in its four qualifying matches, including a 5-0
loss to England at Old Trafford in September. Andorra has only won one
competitive match - beating Macedonia in a World Cup qualifier in 2004.
"We are all in it together. It's us against everybody and we need
to stand up and be counted," Terry said.
McClaren began his tenure with wins in his first three games. Since then,
England hasn't won in its last five - its worst stretch in 26 years. It's
also the worst start by any England coach.
McClaren said England's display against Israel had been among the best
performances in all Euro 2008 qualifiers over the weekend, triggering
newspaper headlines in England such as "He's lost the plot"
and "He's deluded."
The Sun said McClaren will be fired if England loses to Andorra, while
the Guardian said McClaren's relationship with Terry Venables was on the
rocks due to the coach's reported unwillingness to heed his assistant's
advice.
England is tied with Israel for third place in Group E with eight points.
Croatia leads with 13 points and Russia is second with 11, with only the
top two teams qualifying for the tournament in Austria and Switzerland.
Andorra, ranked 129th, shares last place in the group with Estonia. Both
teams have no points after four matches.
On Tuesday, McClaren was backed by the Football Association.
"We have been with the squad throughout the past week and it is obvious
to us just how hard Steve and his coaching staff are working to get results,"
the FA's international committee chiefs Noel White and David Richards
said in a statement. "We would once again like to offer our full
support to Steve and all the team."
White and Richards also denied reports that they had summoned McClaren
to a meeting this week to explain the poor results.
"At a time when we are giving our full support to Steve and the England
team ahead of tomorrow night's game with Andorra, these stories are very
unhelpful," the statement said.
The match provides Wayne Rooney with an opportunity to return to scoring
form for England. The Manchester United forward has managed only three
goals in his last 21 international games and reportedly got into a shouting
match in the locker room following the draw with Israel.
The coach denied a rift with Rooney, who reportedly threw his boots and
shirt at the wall.
McClaren has said he may make changes to the team, with some fans hoping
that underperforming Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard is omitted.
England defender Jonathan Woodgate is available again after missing the
Israel game because of a knee injury.
The match will be played in Barcelona at Espanyol's Lluis Companys Olympic
stadium to accommodate a reported 17,000 English fans.
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March 28, 2007.
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