Patrick Barclay: “It Was Madness to Get Rid of McClaren”

If there was any doubt how much damage the recent game against the Czech Republic did to English perceptions of Fabio Capello, then this should confirm it.

In Sky’s Sunday Supplement (now with 100% less Jimmy Hill) The Daily Telegraph’s football correspondent Patrick Barclay actually says - with a straight face - that “it was madness to get rid of Steve McClaren.” Click here to see the clip if you don’t believe me (sorry, couldn’t embed it).

Clearly Barclay is wrong, and the embarrassed laughter of his contemporaries was enough to let him know exactly that. It was madness to appoint Steve Mac in the first place, but getting rid was the only reasonable (and merciful) thing to do.

They also discuss the argument about whether Gerrard was asked to play on the left or not. My take is that it’s too simplistic to say Gerrard played on the left of midfield, but he clearly played towards the left of center. And the fact that everyone is in disagreement about just what Stevie G’s position was is a testament to just how confused and ineffective England’s midfield looked.

And of course, Gerrard went back to wearing a Liverpool shirt this weekend, playing proper central midfield and doing things like this.