Britain's newspapers savaged Steve McClaren yesterday after the England manager failed to guide his team to the 2008 European Championships.
McClaren was sacked within hours of the papers going to print as the national press put the boot into the Yorkshireman after Wednesday's defeat to Croatia.
The Sun's front page was filled by a picture of a punctured England football lying in the gutter.
PHOTO: EPA
Britain's biggest-selling daily talked of McClaren being axed in the past tense as it laid into the former Middlesbrough manager and his team.
"England taught the world how to play football. Sometimes it seems we've forgotten how to do it ourselves," its editorial read. "The World Cup in South Africa is only two-and-a-half years away. We need to rebuild, and quickly."
Besides McClaren, it was time to show the "blazered buffoons" running English soccer "the door of their sumptuous offices."
Shaun Custis wrote: "Useless, pathetic, insipid, spineless, desperate, rubbish. England are the joke of European football. McClaren has somehow taken the so-called golden generation backwards from the Sven-Goran Eriksson era. Let's have Sven back. We can only dream of three successive quarter-finals now."
The front page of the Daily Mirror read: "England disgrace."
"Furious England fans turned on Steve McClaren last night after a pitiful defeat by Croatia dumped us out of Euro 2008 ... on one of the most disastrous nights in our football history."
McClaren avoided being lashed by the rain by using a huge umbrella. However, there was no escaping the lashing he got from the newspapers for doing so.
"What a bunch of losers," said the Daily Star's front page.
"McClaren ... looked a fool and it is the first time I have seen a coach using an umbrella on the touchline. It gave out the wrong messages, while the soaked Croatia boss Slaven Bilic lept about barking orders," wrote Brian Woolnough.
The Daily Mail said: "Great leaders inspire their men to glory. Steve McClaren will be remembered as a wally with a brolly."
He seemed to be "auditioning for Singing in the Rain. Was he trying to summon the insouciance of Fred Astaire? Again and again we confront the painful truth that countries a fraction of England's size and with infinitely less cash produce technically superior football that shows up the clumsiness and panic of some of our players when pressure is applied."
"Hopeless, hapless, helpless," said the Guardian's sports section.
The Times also had a picture of McClaren looking glum under his umbrella.
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
SSC Napoli will have to wait one more week to seal the Serie A title after on Sunday being held to a goalless draw at Parma, while closest rivals Inter drew 2-2 in a dramatic game with SS Lazio. Antonio Conte’s team stayed one point ahead of Inter and were unfortunate not to win after twice striking the woodwork through Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano, while Scott McTominay also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar. The away side thought they would be handed a chance to take the points from the penalty spot in the 96th minute when David Neres
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
Omar Marmoush’s stunning long-range strike on Tuesday upstaged Kevin de Bruyne on the Manchester City great’s Etihad farewell. Marmoush let fly from about 30m to put City ahead in their 3-1 win against AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. The victory moved Pep Guardiola’s team up to third in the standings and left qualification for the UEFA Champions League in their own hands heading into the last round of the season. “It’s really important. To be in the Champions League after what happened [this season] will be really nice,” the City manager said. De Bruyne was making his final home appearance for City before
RSS