Premiership Countdown: 8 Days to Go.
New England manager Steve McClaren has done more in 11 days than Sven Goran Eriksson did in 11 months.
Every decision he’s made thus far has been perfect. Consider what he is done in such a short amount of time:
- Dropped Beckham. The whole world knew it, especially England fans, but Beckham has been long past his best. Other than being a free-kick expert, his output has been poor for the England side. Sure, we’ll miss him, but McClaren has made a giant leap forward with this decision.
- Adding Terry Venables. Venables is one of those likeable characters with huge amounts of experience that players respect. As long as Venables doesn’t open his mouth too much and says something he would regret, Terry Venables.
- Dropping Walcott to U-21 squad. Enough said.
- Adding Ashton to the senior squad. I’m a huge admirer of Dean Ashton and a firm believer that he’s going to be a success on the international stage. He’s a fantastic instinct and clinical finish. He may need a few international matches to hit his stride, but this is a very positive step for McClaren.
- Opening up the England training sessions. Sven limited press access to his practice sessions, which created tension between the FA and English tabloid press. McClaren’s decision to open up the training sessions is a huge PR coup.
- Appointed John Terry captain. Although I’m a huge admirer of Steven Gerrard, I believe McClaren made the right choice with Terry by allowing the Chelsea defender to lead from the back.
What are your thoughts on the decision to drop Beckham?
