Steve McClaren: No excuses for failure

Sep 5 2007 by Simon Stone, Liverpool Daily Post

ENGLAND put their Euro 2008 hopes on the line at Wembley on Saturday with coach Steve McClaren admitting there can be no excuses for failure.

With McClaren’s men currently lying fourth in Group E, and table-toppers Croatia virtually certain to claim one of the two automatic qualifying slots, the weekend confrontation with Israel, followed by another home outing against Russia on September 12 represent the acid test of England’s ambitions.

Win both and the Three Lions will be virtually certain of appearing in next summer’s Finals in Austria and Switzerland.

Lose and McClaren’s expensively-assembled stars can start to book their holidays and the coach can begin his search for alternative employment.

The latter option is not one McClaren has even considered, so sure is he of the direction England are heading. But the former Middlesbrough coach knows the moment of truth is arriving fast. And, even without Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Gary Neville and Frank Lampard, he knows Israel must be beaten.

"There are no excuses," he declared. "The players I have are good enough to win these games.

"I don’t have to tell them, or anyone else, how important it is for us to win on Saturday.

"We know Israel will come to Wembley for a draw, defend until they get it and be delighted if that is what they achieve. But now is the time for us to deliver."

McClaren has already had to review his plans twice in the last week after the injuries sustained by Beckham and Lampard.

Although the thigh injury Lampard sustained in training with Chelsea on Friday is not quite as serious as originally suggested, the midfielder will not face Israel and remains only a ‘50-50’ bet to recover in time to tackle Russia.

And it now transpires Lampard’s absence prompted the shock recall of Wigan front-man Emile Heskey, whose three-year international exile was ended by a Sunday lunchtime call from McClaren.

At such an early stage of his preparation, McClaren’s starting line-up is yet to be determined.

But the indications from a training session which Steven Gerrard, Owen Hargreaves and John Terry all missed and David James appeared to get the nod over Paul Robinson for goalkeeping slot, was that Heskey would start on the bench at Wembley.

Between them, Owen and Heskey have scored 14 goals in 12 games they have started together; an enviable statistic indeed given the lack of firepower in McClaren’s squad.

The prospect of utilising that proven partnership was one of the major factors behind McClaren’s decision to call up Heskey, a remarkable U-turn in itself given the England coach had dismissed the idea totally just three weeks beforehand.

Yet, knowing Peter Crouch is suspended for the Israel game, and England ran out of ideas when they drew in Tel Aviv last season, Heskey was an obvious alternative.

"I did rule it out in that instance but we have had Emile watched a couple of times and I went to see him at Newcastle on Saturday," confirmed McClaren.

We all know he has played with Michael before and there is evidence they have linked well together.

"Michael has also scored goals playing with Emile. It has to be remembered as well that Emile gives us different options.

"There are only three ways you can get at teams; you can either go through them, go round them or go over them.

"In Israel, because Peter Crouch was not available, we did not have a Plan B. We have not got Peter for the Israel game this time either, which is one of the reasons I have brought Emile in."

Although a win against an obdurate Israel side, who have already drawn in Moscow and went through an entire 2006 World Cup qualification group which included eventual runners-up France, Switzerland and the Republic of Ireland undefeated, is by no means certain, victory would set McClaren’s men up nicely for the Russia encounter.

Russia coach Guus Hiddink, a one-time candidate for McClaren’s job following the departure of Sven-Goran Eriksson, has already aired some less-than-complimentary views on England and their players.

McClaren has wisely opted not to get involved in a slanging match with one of the game’s most respected, and successful, coaches.

But he will use Hiddink’s attack as added motivation over the next week.

"I don’t take very much notice of the opinion of people who are not within the squad and don’t know the players," said McClaren. "I refuse to comment on other teams. I have enough dealing with my own.

"What we have to do is show he is wrong. That has to be one of the motivations of this England team over the next two games. We have a lot to prove and a lot to do. We have to start doing it."

While the return of Heskey to the England fold after a three-year absence has been reported in some quarters to be a direct result of Owen’s intervention, McClaren has a straightforward explanation.

Dismissed as an England candidate by the coach only three weeks ago, Heskey is now seen as the striker who, if not necessarily prolific himself, can get the best out of Owen, along with Gerrard and Joe Cole, the only proven marksmen in McClaren’s entire squad.

With Crouch, who, along with Rio Ferdinand and Gareth Barry, impressed above everyone else in training, suspended for the Israel encounter, Heskey offers a different option to Johnson

With Israel expected to adopted the usual safety-first approach on their travels, the Wigan and former Liverpool frontman could be an effective weapon for McClaren to call off the substitutes’ bench.

"Emile has played with Michael before and there is evidence they have linked well together," said McClaren."Michael has also scored goals playing with Emile. It has to be remembered as well that Emile gives us different options.

"Peter Crouch is a target man as well and gives defenders problems in the air but we have not got him for the first game, which is one of the reasons I have brought Emile in," he added.