Three Questions for Steve McClaren

September 7th, 2007 | by: Daryl | View Comments

Steve McClaren’s having a rough week. As if all the injuries aren’t bad enough, he’s got the likes of Tony Adams comparing him to Graham Taylor in certain newspapers. But if he gets six points from the next two games (Israel on Saturday, Russia on Wednesday) then things will look a lot brighter and failed managers like Adams will be quiet. Here are the three questions Steve McClaren has to answer to make that happen:

1. Should he risk the wrath of Rafa Benitez by sticking a painkilling injection in Stevie Gerrard’s big toe?

I honestly don’t know. Not because of the club v country thing. It’s country every time for a game this important. But I still think players can only perform when they’re fit, and wouldn’t be too encouraged by a midfield of Gerrard and Hargreaves if both are carrying injuries. Also, the last thing England need is Stevie Gerrard doing more damage to his toe and being out long term.

2. Is Emile Heskey the man to partner Michael Owen, and can he gloriously resurrect a once dead international career?

Yes. Owen needs a big man to play with, and Heskey is the best we’ve got. Heskey’s also massively underrated and was the target for some unfair criticism when he played under Sven, especially as he spent half the time playing out of position on the left wing. I wouldn’t bet against Heskey either scoring or providing the winning goal on Saturday.

3. Error prone Paul Robinson or error prone David James in goal?

Scott Carson is probably the form keeper at the moment, but even Carson says Ray Clemence has more chance of playing than he does. So I say Robinson, if only because James doesn’t offer you anything that Robinson doesn’t, and sticking by the Spurs keeper will at least boost his confidence a little.