Euro 2008/Group E: Louise Taylor looks at Steve McClaren's management ideas ahead of tomorrow's game with Croatia
If Steve McClaren was English prime minister his cabinet would be working over-time and consensus politics would be the order of the day. His car apart, there is nothing presidential about England's manager who will rely on brainstorming sessions with his coaches to rectify the flaws manifested during Saturday's 0-0 draw with Macedonia.
Several former colleagues were yesterday unanimous that McClaren's response to the sort of slump in form evidenced by England's display would not be a knee-jerk one, but would involve wide consultation and technical analysis through the Prozone system. "Steve's no dictator, he'll always ask for, and listen to, different viewpoints," explained an insider at Middlesbrough where McClaren was manager.
Indeed McClaren's willingness to seek counsel before reaching major decisions is a key characteristic which distinguishes him from many managerial peers, several of whom fall into the "control freak" bracket. As his mentor Jim Smith, whom he once assisted at Derby County, explained yesterday: "I'm not prepared to listen to as many opinions as Steve does; I'm a bit more bloody-minded but he's a very bright lad who knows what's he's doing and generally puts things right."
At Middlesbrough McClaren held frequent meetings with his staff, which invariably proved lengthy when results were adverse. If he was privately closest to Bill Beswick and Steve Round, the psychologist and coach now working alongside him with England, his club managerial style was extremely democratic and Middlesbrough's other coaches, Steve Harrison and Paul Barron, were routinely invited to argue the tactical toss during such gatherings - along with the fitness coach and physiotherapists.
It was a trend continued when McClaren subsequently worked as Alex Ferguson's assistant at Manchester United. "Steve will discuss tactics (for the Croatia game) with all his staff and then come to a decision," insisted Henning Berg, the former Manchester United defender, yesterday. Berg says he "enjoyed" being coached by McClaren but, interestingly, regards him as more a tactician than a man-manager.
"Steve replaced Brian Kidd at United," he explained. "Brian's strength was his ability to relate to the players but Steve was more into the shape and style of the team. He'll deal with the criticism by looking at his tactics."
Delegation is another McClaren forte and while he talks formations with Terry Venables he will probably sub-contract some motivational responsibilities to Beswick, England's sports psychologist. During their time at Middlesbrough, McClaren frequently asked Beswick to address both the team and individuals, with collective responsibility and aggression control recurring themes.
"Steve first got Bill in at Derby and he'd show the players films of ducks flying across the Atlantic," recalled Smith. "He'd explain how it was only possible because they were in the right formation. Bill was also our eyes and ears; he was very good at reading body language and alerted us to problems with players no one else had picked up on."
It is possible that England players arriving from clubs such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United where Jose Mourinho, Arsene Wenger, Rafael Benitez and Ferguson belong to the "do as I say" school of management may be inhibited about airing any grievances but McClaren is likely to encourage them to find a voice.
It is all part of his belief that players should assume responsibility for team performance. This philosophy was demonstrated by his use of Prozone at Boro where Monday mornings at the training ground invariably saw staff busily pinning photocopied sheets of paper on to most available wall spaces. They were print-outs containing each individual's Prozone analysis from that weekend's game, with key statistics highlighted. McClaren sets great store by the system and believes every player and staff member should have access to the entire team's results. "Prozone details were always pinned up everywhere and players would look at each other's stats," explained the Boro insider who anticipates something similar happening in the England camp.
Smith, now managing Oxford United, remembers pioneering the system. "Where Steve used it cleverly to help put things right at Derby was that he allowed his personality to come through when he interpreted the stats and he turned the analysis into something challenging and enjoyable for the players."
One aspect of his transition from pure coaching to management McClaren has seemingly found less enjoyable is his sometimes wooden, rather forced, handling of the media. He is now experiencing his first taste of life as an England manager who is not winning every game.
At Boro he routinely consulted Beswick and rehearsed potential responses to questions before addressing reporters. Mindful of his public image, he appeared fixated with spin, repeatedly discovering positives in the most unlikely situations - typically Boro's 7-0 defeat at Arsenal last winter was "a good education" for the young players.
Yet after the Macedonia stalemate a sea change appeared evident as England's manager, now also regularly advised by the FA's head of communications Adrian Bevington and occasionally by Max Clifford, discerned no positives and talked about a "reality check".
As a one-time Boro player put it: "I was expecting to hear Steve say 'there's no easy games in international football' and to try to pull the wool over people's eyes but, instead, he was very honest. Perhaps he's learning that's the best way for an England manager to be."
Maybe, just maybe, McClaren is going to preside over a new England after all.
