England - thrilling win or hollow victory?
Posted by DavidM in England | 17 August 2006
Steve McClaren's reign as England manager got off to a good start last night with a 4-0 win over Greece at Old Trafford.
On Teamtalk, it was described as a 'dream start' for McClaren and a 'thrilling 4-0 win'.
"The new coach had promised his England team would play with more 'freedom' and panache - and his troops did not let him down with a stunning first half against the European champions in wet conditions", reports TeamTalk.
They round off the report with the comment that "the 45,864 boisterous fans who turned up to the game gave their new coach and captain a thunderous applause at the final whistle".
Maybe unsurprisingly The Scotsman has a rather different take on the game. Their report starts off altogether less positively;
"Although the tepid uptake of tickets and a cloud burst before kick-off caused some deflation, this match had been designed to herald a glorious new Steve McClaren era. Quite what can be taken from a match won at walking pace by England remains very much in question."
It goes on to say;
"A half-full Old Trafford welcomed England back into action, but not even four goals in the opening half could fully convince the faithful that these players deserve the kind of devotion that saw lives put on hold during the summer."
Most of the article talks about England's failure at the World Cup - though I suggest it's better to have tried and failed than never to have qualified at all! - but continually played down the atmosphere and performance of England last night.
These two reports were obviously at different games and having missed it myself I don't know which is more accurate. I do know this though. McClaren got off to the right start and included a number of players most fans think should have been involved in the World Cup. It's the right start. Nothing more.
Round and White have a short article on the fickleness of the British press. Reading the reports since his appointment, McClaren may be in the top job in football management in England, but I don't envy him.
Finally, BlogFC have an 'interview' with Terry Venables about his relationship with Steve McClaren that made me chuckle.
Comments
The Interview is with Englands No2 Terry Venables!
Doh. Thanks for the correction. I was putting the article together too quickly. I've amended it now.
