LAWTON: Advice of axed England boss McClaren is simply not needed

'I have no problem with being part of any inquiry,' he said yesterday in response to the declaration that there will be a 'full, root and branch examination'.

If it was a generous offer — and some would say it was the least he could do after walking away with a £2.5million pay-off for 16 months of abject failure — it was one FA chief executive Brian Barwick and his colleagues at Soho Square should politely decline.

After all, what could he tell them? That there were reasons beyond his bizarre decision to employ a 3-5-2 formation for that defeat in Croatia?

That it was not simply because of his inability to inspire, organise and think on his feet that he has left the FA with the worst international record in English football history?

He lost 28 per cent of his matches — inferior, even, to Kevin Keegan. After Keegan resigned in a Wembley toilet, he was candid enough to admit that he lacked the tactical nous to cope with the demands of international football.

McClaren has never acknowledged his own limitations and paid for the kind of over-confidence he displayed even when he was first appointed as Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant at Manchester United in 1999.

There were times when he appeared to possess a certain amount of courage, not least in dropping big-name players, and his final press conference at a hotel in St Albans yesterday lunchtime was conducted with dignity. He deserves credit, if nothing else, for backing his players until the very end, even when he would have been perfectly justified in lambasting them for their ineptitude against Croatia.

Of some frustration, though, was the stock answer to the more pertinent questions.

'That's not for today,' he said, which was a shame when it was the last opportunity he will have to deliver his message in the presence of television cameras, radio microphones and national newspaper reporters.

Yesterday he could have made an impact. Leave it a while and anything of value he might wish to add could be lost.

He said, given a little time to think about it, he would have lots of advice for his successor. Again, thanks but no thanks. But he did at least dismiss the suggestion that England had become the impossible job. Contrary to the view expressed yesterday by Premier League chairman Sir David Richards, McClaren said the media attention had not made the position 'untenable'.

'You guys are the hardest people in the world to work with and you know it,' bleated Richards before being reminded that poor results, and not the media, make a manager's job untenable.

'It's a great job, a great job,' said McClaren. 'And it's even better if you can get it right. It's a huge challenge. Not a chalice. You need to pick a man who can take the challenge on and succeed. I've been in it for 18 months (16 but, hey, who's counting except the FA accountants?). It was the proudest moment of my career when I took it and this is the saddest.

'There's obviously going to be a new head coach. All I can concentrate on is getting over this huge disappointment. This is a sad day, but I'll recover. I'll bounce back. I'm not one to lie on a beach. I'm a better manager than I was 18 months ago. I've learned some lessons. I'll learn from this and move on.'

He will learn only if he recognises the mistakes he has made — that, rather than taking England forward, he has actually taken them backwards.

When Sven Goran Eriksson left the FA media marquee in Baden- Baden for the last time, nobody ever thought that followers of English football would reflect on his tenure as the glory years.

'I'm not making any excuses,' added McClaren. 'We had 12 games to do it. I can point to conditions, injuries, bad luck, decisions, but ultimately we failed to qualify over 12 games. I can understand the FA's decision. The players will get a lot of criticism and we're all in it. But I'm the one who's responsible.

'They are professional football players who want to do the job. All I would say is that they're a pleasure to work with. They really want to achieve. Unfortunately, we've come up short. We all take responsibility for that, but I do more than anyone. We need to get behind our England team and support these players.

'It wasn't just about last night. It was about other games as well. It was my job. I said I'd live or die by results. Judge me by that. The players gave me total support. Their attitude was perfect throughout.'

To hear McClaren say he 'enjoyed every minute' came as something of a surprise. 'I'm proud to have managed my country,' he said.

'I'm proud of my team. I've never walked away from anything and I'd never intend to. There was no reason to resign. It was never in mind. It's not down to financial motivations. This is a fantastic job and a great honour, something I've been privileged to have carried through.

'The 18 months have been a fantastic experience.' For you, maybe, Steve. For you, maybe.