|
 |
AUSTRIA v ENGLAND - McCLAREN READY FOR NERVOUS NIGHT
In a Vienna hotel Alfred Hitchcock used to regularly frequent, Steve McClaren outlined his plans for a nail-biting Saturday night TV session desperately hoping he does not end up watching a horror movie.
The 'Master of Suspense' would have been proud to create the kind of situation McClaren now finds himself in.
Although the England coach and his team are in Austria for a friendly which was supposed to be the prelude for a lengthier stint at Euro 2008 next summer, the real drama will unfold in Tel Aviv and Skopje on Saturday.
Should Russia and Croatia record away wins over Israel and Macedonia respectively, England will effectively be condemned to missing their first major tournament since the 1994 World Cup.
For all his present bullishness, McClaren knows such a scenario would bring inevitable calls for his head.
And, as he held court at the Imperial Hotel, he confirmed his plans for a quiet Saturday night in as his fate is determined.
"I have no firm plans for Saturday but I will most probably be at home with my boys, biting my nails hoping the right thing happens," he said.
"We are a very private family and a very ordinary one. There is enough to get on with in life without them bothering too much about me."
Given unfancied Greece are the current European champions and Peter Schmeichel's Denmark won the tournament in 1992 despite being hauled off the beach to take Yugoslavia's place in a competition for which they did not even qualify, it is not completely beyond the realms of possibility England will somehow scrape through and ultimately emerge victorious.
However, McClaren's players can hardly escape the uncertainty of their predicament, even if their coach has re-assured them this particular drama will have a happy ending.
"We are all professionals," he said.
"We met on Tuesday and training has gone very well. I have told the players the campaign is not over. I believe that Macedonia or Israel will get a result."
Meetings with Football Association chief executive Brian Barwick this week have apparently not even touched on McClaren's present job prospects.
And while the thorny issue of McClaren's position within an FA delegation bound for next weekend's World Cup draw in South Africa will need to be clarified at some point before Friday's departure should England's week finish as miserably as most pundits expect, the coach is refusing to entertain any bleak thoughts.
"I believe I will survive," he said.
"I have come through adversity in the past and I am sure I will again.
"We are in a period of uncertainty. But the uncertainty is about this qualifying campaign, not my job.
"Qualification is out of our hands but I have always believed the Croatia match next Wednesday would be the crunch game and I still do."
By Bettingzone.co.uk
Used with permission.
BACK TO AUSTRIA v ENGLAND MATCH PROGRAMME INDEX
 |
|
|
|
