New England boss Steve McClaren insists he will not be afraid to make more tough decisions after he swung the axe on David Beckham's international career.
Former skipper Beckham, along with fellow veterans David James and Sol Campbell, were the high-profile names missing from McClaren's plans as he named his first squad to face European champions Greece in a friendly on Wednesday.
McClaren, who succeeded Sven-Goran Eriksson after England's disappointing World Cup campaign, says the Beckham bombshell is part of a long-term plan aimed at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup finals.
PHOTO: AP
He also said there was no pressure from the Football Association (FA)'s commercial department to keep Beckham in the squad.
"I've got the job and I want to approach it my way and make my decisions and live or die by them," said McClaren.
"There was certainly no commercial pressure to keep David Beckham in the squad. It is a football decision and I think everybody around the country and in the FA respected the decision I made," he said.
Beckham was told of the decision on Monday before he flew to the USA for Real Madrid's pre-season tour.
He took it on the chin, said he understood and told McClaren he would do everything he can to win back his place.
"Having spoken to Steve McClaren this week I can fully understand that a new manager should want to make his mark on the team and build towards the next World Cup," Beckham said in a statement.
"I'm proud to have played for England for 10 years and my passion for representing my country remains as strong as ever," he said. "I'd like to wish the best of luck to [new skipper] John Terry and will offer him my complete support in the future."
McClaren told Beckham, Campbell and James the door will never be closed but admitted he had started to think about a new direction for the team as soon he landed the job in April.
"As soon as I got the job and as soon as we were out of the World Cup and David relinquished the captaincy, my mind was focused on the job in hand," the manager said.
"That was getting together my backroom staff, picking a new captain and getting together a squad for the future," he said. "So it has never really been out of my thoughts since I actually got the job."
McClaren was on Eriksson's coaching team for the World Cup where England were knocked out in the quarter-finals.
It provided him with a close-up of the players at his disposal but he refused to criticize the displays of Beckham or anyone else in Germany.
The England boss said: "I'm not going to enter into a debate about the World Cup and people's performances there, about whether it was disappointing or whatever."
"There were lots of lessons to be learned and lots of things I took on board during that time which I hope will take me forward into this job," McClaren said. "All I will say is that it goes without saying that David Beckham is a great player, he's been a fantastic player for England and he's been a great captain."
"Now I've decided to move on from that. Let's talk about the future and younger players who are coming through who we want to establish in this team for Euro 2008," he said.
McClaren has picked four young wingers in his squad -- Aaron Lennon, Kieran Richardson, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Stewart Downing.
Gary Neville, 31, is the only over-30 picked by McClaren and brother Phil wins a surprise recall.
As Steve McClaren announced his first England squad on Friday, a familiar and flamboyant figure from the national side's past was sitting next to him -- new assistant manager Terry Venables.
The 63-year-old is perhaps a surprise return to the England set-up, given that he departed as England manager himself a decade ago because of grave misgivings in the Football Association (FA) about his controversial business dealings.
The former manager of Tottenham and Barcelona -- the latter city where he acquired his "El Tel" nickname -- Venables guided England to the semi-finals of Euro 96.
Venables said on Friday he was delighted to be back with the national side, something he had not expected.
"I doubted it. It's great. I feel wonderful to be involved again, it's a great privilege," he said, hailing his new working relationship with McClaren, who took over from Sven Goran Eriksson after the World Cup.
"I think we seem to have a pretty good rapport, we don't know each other that well but we're football people and I can't see any reason why we can't really do well together," Venables said.
He rejected the idea he could overshadow his new boss.
"I'm not looking to be a rival. I'm looking to help Steve and people must make their judgements. But we will find the balance of what is right," Venables said.
"My job is to support Steve, help him, give him my feelings straight out what I think about things, then it's up to him to think those things over and come up with the answer," he said. "He's head coach. There's no doubt about that at all."
A prominent player in the 1960s who was capped twice for England, Venables led Barcelona to a league title and managed Tottenham before being appointed England boss in 1994.
Despite his undoubted expertise and popularity with fans and players, the charismatic Venables was never trusted at the FA, who pointedly named him "coach" rather than manager, and he left after Euro 96.
The FA's suspicions seemed vindicated in 1998 when Venables was banned from being a company director for seven years because of dishonest business practices.
But he remained in demand as a manager, taking charge of the Australian national side among others.
McClaren reportedly fought hard against FA resistance to have Venables as his full-time number two.
"To help the team win, it always helps to have good people around you. My assistant, Terry Venables, is one of the best," McClaren said.
"I have a high regard for Terry, I have done for many, many years. When I picked an assistant, to work alongside me and help the team, I wanted to pick somebody who was tactically astute, who knows football inside and out, who can give me the best advice," he said.
"I wanted him to have experience at this level, at the top level, working with top players," he said. "Especially, I wanted that person to be passionate about England, and want them to succeed."
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