The English Football Association (FA) on Tuesday offered its support to embattled national coach Steve McClaren.
McClaren, who replaced Sven Goran-Eriksson after the World Cup, is under fire after England’s poor start to the European Championship qualifying campaign.
”We have been with the squad throughout the past week and it is obvious to us just how hard Steve and his coaching staff are working to get results,” the FA’s international committee chiefs, Noel White and David Richards, said in a statement. ”We would once again like to offer our full support to Steve and all the team.”
England laboured to a 0-0 draw with Israel in Tel Aviv on Saturday, their fifth straight game without a win, prompting much of the domestic media to call for McClaren’s dismissal.
England are third in Group E, five points behind leaders Croatia and three points behind Russia. England play Andorra on Wednesday in Barcelona, Spain.
White and Richards denied British news reports that they had summoned McClaren to a meeting this week to explain the poor results.
”At a time when we are giving our full support to Steve and the England team ahead of tomorrow [Wednesday] night’s game with Andorra, these stories are very unhelpful,” the statement said. — Sapa-AP