McClaren: More lives than a cat?

So England still have a chance, all thanks to an Israel team that the press were busy denouncing had been bought, were not good enough and all the rest. I hope to see a vast amount of apologising in Sundays papers but somehow, I cant see it.

And meanwhile, the worst England manager in living memory must either be thanking his lucky stars or sacrificing goats to whatever he`s been worshipping.

How he got the job in the first place defies belief. A man who spent millions as manager of Middlesborough yet consistently failed to deliver the goods who got the job despite Martin O`Neill and Sam Allardyce both having been interviewed and Allardyce finishing higher with his Bolton team year in year out despite being on a shoestring budget.

This of course could well all be put down to the FA.

You can go back years to when all this first started, when Brian Clough should have been handed the England job and never got it, mainly because he would speak his mind, say what he thought and want things done his way. An attitude like that never goes down well with our beloved FA who want someone who will kowtow to them, say what they want and happily announce that they are satisfied with a nil nil draw against the Falkland Islands reserve team.

The FA`s decision making as far as England managers go has only really paid dividends once, and that was when Bobby Robson got the job. Never has a man showed as much grit, determination and passion in the job as that man. What did he get? Abuse from the press until he was hounded from the job.

Ahhh, i hear you cry, but what about Venables and our semifinal against Germany?

Not so. Because the FA didnt pick him. They asked the Premier clubs who they would choose, Venables got the vote and got the job. So they got it right as many times as the FA in the last 40 years with just one try.

As for foreign coaches, well, in my opinion it just doesnt work. The English game is very different in that its played at a faster pace, time and time again you`ll see that a lot of foreign players coming into our game need time to adjust. Not only that, but how can you expect loyalty, pride and passion from a foreign coach to the same degree that you get from a Bobby Robson? You cant. Look at Sven for that who spent most of his time trying to sew up other jobs. Hardly inspiring.

So where do we go from here?

Well, maybe lucky Steve will get luckier and keep himself in a job, but, if he does end up with the chop, the FA need to start thinking very carefully about what they want. Is their priority a man who will kiss their feet, or a man who will deliver the goods?

Or, maybe they should do what they did before and ask Premier clubs/chairmen to say who they think is best for the job.

As for Steve, well, the only more laughable choice that springs to mind is when Phil Neal ended up advising Graham Taylor on the England bench after dumping Bolton as far as they could go without sending them out of the league completely. Okay, most Bury fans felt that Phil deserved a knighthood for that, but a place on the England bench?

Good luck for the Croatia game Steve, we`ll send you a few goats just in case you need them.