Do we all remember England’s shambolic failure to qualify for Euro 2008 in Austria/Switzerland? The ‘Wally in a Brolly,’ headlines and the failure that was Steve McLaren. Well, things have changed since that soggy, miserable Wembley night in November 2007, for both parties.
Whilst under the guidance of Fabio Capello, England have breezed into the World Cup finals in South Africa this summer, making the world sit up and take notice whilst doing so. Meanwhile, McLaren has been attempting to rebuild his destroyed coaching reputation at the unheralded Dutch side, FC Twente. This he has managed to do rather impressively and he will have bound to have raised a few eyebrows across Europe with the success over the weekend.
FC Twente became Dutch champions on Sunday, McLaren leading them to their first Eredevisie success in their 45-year history. Facing Europa League hopefuls NAC Breda on Sunday, FC Twente stayed cool under the pressure and overcame the 10-men 2-0, with goals from Chelsea loanee Miroslav Stoch and their club-record signing, Bryan Ruiz. It meant that Twente held on to win the league, one point clear of Martin Jol’s Ajax side.
Ajax may have won their last 14 games, including a 2-0 win over their title rivals a fortnight ago and amassed a staggering goal difference of +86, but Twente held on for a historic triumph, in an incredibly consistent season, which saw them lose just two games. With the likes of AZ Alkmaar and former European Cup winners PSV Eindhoven beaten comprehensively into submission, this is a very impressive statistic.
McLaren, who turned 49 today, may not have the best Dutch accent around, but he has been able to master the Dutch game for sure. Last season, his first season in charge, he took the club to 2nd in the table and a Dutch Cup final appearance. To have gone one better is very impressive, for a man, who when he took over in June 2008, it looked like a desperate move for a manager on the verge on liquidation. He also steered FC Twente to Round three of the UEFA Europa League this season, eventually going down in a bruising encounter with German neighbours, Werder Bremen.
Despite successful spells as No.2 at Derby, and as Sir Alex Ferguson’s right-hand man at Manchester United, plus a five-year reign at Middlesbrough, which saw the Teesiders win the 2004 Carling Cup and reach a UEFA Cup final, it’s his England reign that will haunt his career. His failure to get through a seemingly easy group on paper was galling, especially some of his questionable selections throughout the Euro 2008 campaign, including dropping David Beckham altogether and playing the has-been likes of David Nugent upfront. However, his spell at FC Twente has been nothing short of a success and I wish them all the best in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League next season.
Congratulations to FC Twente and Steve McLaren, he truly is a Dutch Master!
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