McLaren's Succession Could Undermine Eriksson

Filed in archive England on May 2, 2006

source: icnetwork.co.uk

One problem with Steve McLaren's possible ascension to the England hot seat is that he'll provide a distraction in Germany. If the players had known Scolari was coming in, they at least had the assurance that while they were focused on their World Cup campaign, Big Phil was focused on his.

But McLaren will be ever present, at every training session and on the bench at every game, a constant reminder that Sven's days are numbered. I'm sure the players will be focused on the World Cup - how could they not be? - but on some level they'll all be thinking about their international futures, and that means Steve, not Sven.

I disagree with the FA's policy of appointing Sven's successor before the World Cup. Not only has it cost them their first choice (Scolari publicly stated he wanted to discuss his future after the tournament, not before) but if they do appoint someone it allows players, public and press to move on before Sven's even finished. Surely not naming a successor before the World Cup would have allowed everyone to remain focused on the task at hand.