Now that Sven has gone, £25m richer, to pastures new, his squad of highly talented underachievers are beginning to lay into him. The general consensus is, apparently, that Sven was “was pretty hopeless and didn’t have a clue out there.”
No shit.
I wonder what it was that made the players realise this? The continual dismay shown by the media at his formations and tactics? The way England struggled, limped, squeaked and the ‘just-made-it-by-the-skin-of-their-teeth-into-the-quarters-again’ style of play? The fact that he took Walcott and didn’t play him, effectively meaning he took just 22 players?
Of the Walcott saga, Sven said that going to a World Cup would be good for the lad, despite the fact he didn’t actually play. I’d disagree there–taking a 17-year old to a World Cup and not playing him is just as likely to destroy his confidence. It’s been suggested that the FA could have financed Walcott’s trip to Germany as a guest, meaning Sven could actually take a decent striker. Still, I bet Jermaine Defoe appreciated the time in the garden.
If you’re an England player, what can you do though? You can’t very well tell your manager you think he’s shit. If he has an inkling of common sense, he’d pick up on that fact without you needing to point out his shortcomings. Do you tell the FA? That would be perceived as a back stab. Do you whinge about it internally and say the right things in press conferences? Probably. Then you’d blame the FA for appointing the berk in the first place.
After a glorious summer of football I suppose it’s inevitable that we’re about to be inundated with footballer autobiographies: Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Ashley Cole have all spent the summer writing instead of doing what they’re paid for: winning football matches (the World Cup would have been nice).
I only hope that the players are a bit more honest with McClaren.
Previously: Sven Simply Didn’t Have the Passion