Steve McLaren the Player and Coach
Assistant to Manchester United and England, Manager of Middlesbrough
Steve McLaren, the England manager, had a mediocre playing career but was recognised as a top class coach while with Derby County, Manchester United and Middlesbrough.
Steve McLaren had a mediocre playing career in the lower divisions of the Football League with appearances for Hull City, Derby County, Bristol City and Oxford United. Injury forced him to retire from playing in 1990 at the age of twenty seven but he went into coaching as Reserve team coach at Oxford United and five years on he became first team coach.
After gaining experience at Oxford he moved to Derby County as Assistant manager to Jim Smith and the partnership worked well with Derby winning promotion and consolidating their place in the top division. His prowess as a coach was recognised when he replaced Brian Kidd, the former Manchester United star and member of their 1968 European Cup winning team, as assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford. In his first season with Manchester United they won the treble of Premiership, FA Cup and Champions League.
His status as a successful young English coach was acknowledged by all in football and in November, 2000 he was appointed Assistant manager of England by Peter Taylor, the Caretaker manager. He retained his post when Sven Goran Erikkson was appointed Head Coach in 2001.
His opportunity to become a manager came after two and a half years at Old Trafford when Middlesbrough offered him the post in 2001. In his first season he took the club to the FA Cup semi-final and then in 2004 they won their first trophy, the Carling Cup defeating Bolton Wanderers in the final.
After Middlesbrough’s first experience of European football, McLaren took them to their highest league position, seventh, and the opportunity for further European football. In the 2006 UEFA Cup they experienced many highs as they reached the final before losing by four goals to Sevilla.
By this time McLaren knew that he would be replacing Sven Goran Eriksson as England manager at the conclusion of the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The appointment had not been smooth as the Football Association sought a high profile European manager but only after all avenues were blocked did they turn to their assistant, Steve McLaren.
Eriksson assisted by McLaren took what was regarded as the most talented England squad to the World Cup finals with great optimism for their first success since the days of Alf Ramsey in 1966. However, in spite of some encouraging performances in pre-tournament warm-up games, England failed to produce the results or performances that had been expected and Eriksson brought his time in control to a close amid much criticism and acrimony. England lost to Portugal on penalties in the quarter-finals and the hopes of the nation had been shattered once again.
The disappointment and failure of Germany made it a difficult introduction for McLaren as the new England manager.
