Steve McClaren is making changes to the England backroom staff. We found at a while ago that former England manager Terry Venables will be part of the England coaching staff and now it looks as if Steve Round – a relatively unknown figure – will be joining McClaren's support group. Round was McClaren’s assistant at Middlesbrough and will maintain a position at the Riverside as well as performing his new England duties.
Round replaces former Liverpool midfielder Sammy Lee. Lee was offered the chance to replace Peter Taylor as the coach of the Under 21 team but chose instead to commit himself full time to Bolton. McClaren has decided that he would like the Under-21 coaching job to be a full time assignment and the cynic in me wonders if McClaren knew that Lee wasn’t interested in leaving Bolton – hence the job offer, the refusal, and now the chance to replace him.
McClaren will name his first England squad on Friday for a friendly against Greece on August 16 in Manchester. Another decision for McClaren is who will be the new England captain. Realistically it comes down to John Terry (Chelsea) and Steven Gerrard (Liverpool). Both are captains at club level and both are excellent candidates.
I think Terry will be given the nod - the position he plays might be the deciding factor - but whoever the choice it is sure to set off a heated debate.
There are a couple of other things to watch for over the next week or so. Will David Beckham remain part of the England set up under McClaren? And what new faces will be drafted into the England squad? Just last weekend a number of English newspapers tipped West Ham's Dean Ashton to be a likely newcomer.
For McClaren not to give it to Terry or Gerrard would probably cripple his credibility. Terry seems to have gone up a notch even in the training games. I believe that his unmatched commitment and vision in the game will give JT the job, but Gerrard is very strong in all departments and choosing him may fix the midfielder general issue.
My main question is "will McClaren’s choice have a big impact on the outcome of the EPL?"
I think there is a bigger downside for Chelsea. Watching John Terry, I get the impression that he is very attached to the outcome of McClaren’s decision. If JT doesn’t get the job, it may impact his confidence and play at Chelsea, even though he is the stand-out fighter and professional in the team. It might also affect Lampard’s play since it will be giving the midfield generalship to Gerrard. If Terry gets the job I think it will have less negative impact on Liverpool. This could be a deciding factor in the games between the clubs if Gerrard gets the nod.
Last edited by LosAngelesChelseaFan on August 9th at 8:30 AM.
If McClaren wants to make his point that he is “not the same as Ericksson” then he’ll drop or bench Beckham. If he play’s Beckham, then he runs an even stronger risk of taking the rap for the WC failure, particularly if he plays Lampard and Gerrard with him. If he gives Terry the captaincy, look to see Lampard dropped or as sub in favor of Gerrard as sole midfield leader as his consolation prize. In a way, his safest choice is to throw in the youngest and most untried players (other than Walcott) and worry about the Euros later. No-one said it would be easy. Good luck finding a strike force it’s going to be a bumpy road!
Last edited by LosAngelesChelseaFan on August 9th at 8:30 AM.
Bobby,
I refuse to jump on the anti-Beckham bandwagon. After watching him all of last year with Real, and seeing him as one of only two who worked hard and "got back" and flat out hustled all year long I think people haven't seen what kind of player he has become. The guy played wingback and MF for Real, and was good at both. I'm not saying he should start out of hand considering the depth at MF for England, but to dismiss him out of hand, when he HAS turned into more than a one trick pony is silly as well.
Slainte'
Mike
I have never seen terry's leadership qualities , he is a captain o####roup of stars that win and so happens to score goals for chelsea but you can not say he is the heart and soul of chelsea.on the other hand l would take gerrard , he actually lifted an average liverpool side in the premiership and champions leauge and is a guy who actually participates in the game more to drive a team towards a certain direction.In my opinion gerrard can be captain of any team in the world, he is a great leader.Bobby your argument of position meriting captancy is hard to understand because it more of how you drive the team and anyone who watches liverpool knows what l am saying
I think my screen name makes it obvious who my favorite player is. However, I am not convinced that Stevie will be the England captain. I would love for him to get the nod, though my profound respect for John Terry means that I would not begrudge him the honor. For Stevie to become the captain Lampard needs to be dropped. Nothing personal, but for Stevie to really control the midfield he needs a midfield partner that sits deeper (like Hamann did and Alonso does at Anfield). So the only way Stevie will really be in contention is if Lamps is replace alongside him with either Carrick (though not for the Greece game) or Hargreaves.
No offence intented to Lampard fans, but the two of them really can't play together effectively and I would rather have my Stevie G...
I joined/started the anti-Beckham bandwagon during Euro 2004 (even a bit earlier, in his last season for Man.U. when he was basically a passenger in most games). I don't care what he has become for RM, we're talking about his Englnad performances here, and as a friend of mine used to say, there's no entry on the balance sheet for 'effort per share' -- in other words, you have to accomplish something. One free kick and couple of crosses do not justify his spot when there are better alternatives. McLaren has to look to the future and build for Euro 08, and it's inconceivable to me that Beckham will part of that squad. These friendlies are the time to try out the new blood, give people a chance. Let's see Lennon in for 90 min., let's give the Ashtons, Johnsons, and Bents a shot at the big-time. Sven's overcautious approach and misplaced loyalties to the old guard should be behind us; let's see whether they truly are.
While JT and Gerrard are both very qualified, I think the nod should go to gerrard. I doubt Terry will fall apart at chelsea if he doesn't get the arm band. C'mon LACF, we both know how psychologically tough the guy is. When JT gets injured, trainers have to drag him off against his will. StevieG, you don't drop lamps after giving the armband to gerra. That would be silly. He should be on the right, and given the same freedom he has at liverpool. It's too easy to bash becks, but looking back I think he served england well. When wing players age, they lose speed. It happens to the best. Gerrard is an exceptional player, a really special talent. One of my favorite memories was ManU's comeback in 99, but when Gerrard pulled his team back against AC milan I was astonished. Like 99, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Its that quality in Gerrard that puts him on another level and makes him a little more qualified than JT. I look foward to Rooney wearing the arm band after he matures a little more...
All I ever hear about John Terry is that he is a "rock" for Chelsea, but I disagree with that. He's very good, but not great (as many will have you believe) and I don't view him as a great leader.
As far the captain question goes, I would definitely pick gerrard. He is a passionate player and a born leader. He was the catalyst to Liverpool coming back in that champions league final. His performance in the FA cup final was also incredible. He leads by example, and raises the class of his teammates. Isn't that what one looks for when selecting a captain?
Mcclaren definately has a tough decision to make--but I'm sure most countries would like to have such a decision; so many great players and strong leaders. I hope he is capable of making a sound decision and then make the tougher ones about line-up and strategy. I think Lampard lost his legitimate claim to the arm band with his horrid performance at the WC. In fact I couldn't believe it when I heard he was in the running! Liverpool is not the team I usually follow but anytime Stevie G is playing I make sure my son and daughter get a chance to watch him run the show. From a coaches stand point, it would make more sense having the genral in the midfield not on the back line. You could dictate the pace and attack better from the midfield.
Bobby, a special plea. Could you please, please, give us Yanks an update on the US players abroad every-now-and-then? It would be great to follow them somewhat since most coverage is spent on other areas. Go Reading!!
Bobby,
Who do you think should given the captaincy?
I think terry is more likely to be named a captain over gerrard. But. I think england dont have a problem in their defence, midfield is the problem .And if gerrard is given captaincy , he will more likely play the same role he plays for liverpool.
So, I think naming gerro a captain will be benificiery to england.
I meant not disrespect to Beckham. He showed emotion and passion in Germany and gave of his best. However, I think McClaren will ease him out with some grace, but still to show he's the new broom, even though Beckham might have more left to give. That has to give Gerrard more space on the right midfield and flank, especially if Lennon gets the chance at establishing himself. It may get Lampard, Gerrard working better, if he wants to play them both.
The comments about Gerrard are true for most games but he can also disappear sometimes. As avid fans we get inspired by our rapt attention to our own favorites and I see all Gerrard's inspiration in JT. (Yes, I'm sure JT won't crack up if Steve gets it.) As I said, it’s great we have 2 excellent choices - the main problem lies up front.
Rooney? I think he has a lot of sorting out to do before he gets that job, if ever.
Good stuff on the candidates. Very fair considering his 4 years playing for Liverpool!Depends what's most important to McClaren. It'll be interesting to see if he announces before the charity shield game!
I just read a comment on a Liverpool site and it made my mind up about who should be the new England captain, it said "When England were spanking Germany in Munich, and Gerrard was running the show, Terry and Lampard were spending the weekend golfing in Spain"
Stevie G for me.
Congratulations to JT. I'm sure he and Gerrard working together will inspire the rest of the squad. Terry's role will necessarily promote Gerrard's role as midfield captain. McClaren was lucky to have 2 great players to choose from.
Thanks for the discussion Bobby. The quality of the posts on your blog are in sharp contrast to the disgusting garbage on the BBC web site.
Last edited by LosAngelesChelseaFan on August 10th at 8:39 AM.
I was wondering why so many English fans seem utterly disapointed with the pick of McClaren as England manager? Do they see him as another clone of Sven Goran Erickson? Are they still afraid he will continue to employ the dreaded 4-5-1?
As for Terry, I say he's a perfect pick for Captain. I met the guy here in Chicago over the weekend, and he is a complete class act.
I will say that I hope McClaren brings on players such as Bent to the squad. It was a crime that he was left off the Cup team. And if I were McC, I would *definitely* swap off Beckham for Lennon!
Chris -- the concern about McClaren is that with the exception of a run in the UEFA Cup, for what that's worth, he didn't really show us much with Middlesbrough. And his true international experience was therefore all under Sven. I can't believe that he disagreed strongly with most of what Sven did, or he wouldn't have still been around. Maybe he's going to surprise us all -- but I'm sceptical; I think it more likely that we're going to have to find ourselves a real top-flight manager before the next WC.
While my first choice was Gerrard, Terry has been given the job so it is time to let him get on with it. Hargreaves was Englands best player at the WC so he should still be starting for England, incidently I cannot understand why United have not gone after him. I did not think that Beckham should have been an automatic choice,in fact there were games before he left United where he seemed to be a passenger for most of the game.For England there was numerous occasions when he seemed to be only playing so that he could take a free kick, at that level you cannot afford to have a passenger.I think that England have two areas of concern, the first being goalkeeper, Robinson had a good season in the EPL last year at times did not inspire confidence at the WC which caused the defence to be jittery, however there is nobody behind him and England must work on getting one of the yougsters up to speed. The other area is the strike force, obviously. It was a great mistake to take Walcott, which Bobby you called as soon as you heard of the selection, however, the other choices were either not the first choice for their EPL team, injured or playing in the championship ( and also injured). Until these two areas are improved then England will struggle to make any impact at the final level
Last edited by ancanada on August 10th at 1:26 PM.
ancanada - Darren Bent, Dean Ashton to name just two were overlooked and were Premiership first choices. If you get right down to it England would have been better even taking 39 year-old Teddy Sheringham than the youngster. That's no reflection on Walcott - it was just a daft selection.
I still can't believe he left Darren Bent, and his 18 EPL goals at home for the WC.
And why are Rafa and Sven so enamored with Peter Crouch? Has anyone ever produced so little and been allowed to play so much? He's living off his good run in his last 2 months at Southampton and the fact that he's tall.
If McClaren has any sense, Crouch will be on the bench.
Bobby, I agree with you and I overlooked Bent. I am also surprised that Beattie is not mentioned more often.
How do you think Scotland will do and will they qualify for the Euro's
Mr Red Deveil, I agree with you over Crouch and I noticed that he was used off the Bench last week by Liverpool
Last edited by ancanada on August 11th at 5:41 AM.
ancanada - Having being drawn in a group with Italy, France, and Ukraine let alone the Faroe Islands - a country \ island \ rock that has given Scotland fits in the past - it does not look good. However, given the rebuilding that is underway with Wattie Smith it might not be a bad thing. The opposition is so tough that no one in their right mind thinks Scotland will qualify and it might allow Smith to build for a 2010 spot. I think even third place would be a great performance this time around.
I was unsure about McClarens selection as England Manager, but now Venables is by his side, I am actually looking forward to great things. If these two can produce something like the 96 team that played so well in Euro 96 then I think we will all be happy. Erickson missed a great opportunity here. The players were there, the tactics were schoolboy.
JT as Captain seems a good chioce. We need a general, and JT fits that bill. Gerrard is to critical as an attacking force to be hampered by worrying about screaming out demands to others.Gerrard leads by example, and his strenghts will allow JT to concentrate on being a Captain.
As for Beckham, I have never been a great Beckham fan, but he has always given his all for England, and since the demise of Gazza, has been the most influentual player for England in a long time. I think he has been hampered by tactics way to often, and could have been one of the greatest players ever to play for England had the coaches tactics been better. I look back at Hoddle and his career for England did not become what it should have, as Greenwood failed to realize what he had. Gazza of course self distructed, but I think we all agree that he was a player who was given all the tools to be great. Fortunately now we have the man who gave Gazza those tools in Venables as part of the England set up, so I expect the likes of Lennon, carrick, Downing, Hargreaves, Gerrard, Lampard, Dawson, Walcott, Ashton, Bent, to make this coming era of England a time to enjoy.
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