Sacked McClaren rues 'sad day'

McClaren was given the boot after an emergency meeting of FA chiefs in the wake of Wednesday night's miserable exit from the qualifiers. FA chief executive Brian Barwick apologised to fans as he launched a "root and branch" review of the national side and began a search for McClaren's replacement.

McClaren was pushed, along with his number two Terry Venables, by unanimous vote, after he refused to walk away from the job when England lost 3-2 to Croatia at Wembley.

The former Middlesbrough manager, whose 18-game tenure is the shortest of any England coach, had three years remaining on his contract. He is now in line for a huge pay-off of around £2.5 million, according to reports.

Bookmakers made former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho favourite to take over, with Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill close behind.

At a press conference, McClaren accepted responsibility for the team's exit from the competition and said he understood the board's decision.

He said England's failure to qualify was a "huge disappointment" for the country and the fans but praised the squad and his staff.

He said: "First of all, can I say this is one of the saddest days of my career. Eighteen months ago was the proudest day of my career. It's a sad day today to be relieved of my duties."

He said he had no reason to resign from the job, and would not have quit if he had not been sacked, insisting: "I have never walked away from anything. I would never intend to and there was no reason to. Obviously the decision has been taken out of my hands."

At a sombre FA press conference on Thursday morning, its bosses admitted they were "embarrassed" by England's failure and would review the process of selecting the coach. Chairman Geoff Thompson said: "Like every England fan, we are all bitterly disappointed that we have failed to qualify for Euro 2008."