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.