Why Steve McClaren was never England boss material

Just four competitive games into Steve McClaren’s reign as national manager, England are on the brink of failing to qualify for Euro 2008. After two unblemished qualifying campaigns under Sven-Goran Eriksson, the wheels have come off England’s drive to the tournament.

'McClaren's tactics against Croatia and Israel were ill thought-out and poorly put into practice. England looked nervous and unsure of themselves in both games, largely down to the poor formation selection'

They have beaten Andorra, drawn against Macedonia, lost in a horror performance to Croatia, and now drawn 0-0 with Israe -- hardly a world superpower in the game. We need to start asking why before it becomes too late to save this campaign, and to avoid the same mistakes being made again.

As under the Eriksson regime, on paper England look like a great side. We have world-class stars in Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney and John Terry, and the rest of the side are very good players. Man for man, England should sweep aside every team they have come across in Group E, and yet it never happens. While the players obviously play a very large part in getting results, we need to look at how they are set up and motivated.

In international football, as in the domestic game, the quality of the manager and his tactics can make a huge difference and help a team punch above their weight. Just think about Greece at Euro 2004, South Korea at World Cup '98 or Scotland and Northern Ireland in the current campaign -- underwhelming players, but exceptional results due to canny management.