McClaren pays price for England failure

England boss Steve McClaren has been sacked after an FA board meeting.Ten of the 12 board members were eligible to vote and they decided unanimously to terminate McClaren's contract two years early, along with that of his assistant Terry Venables.The FA has promised a "root-and-branch" review of the English team, led by chief executive Brian Barwick.FA chairman Geoff Thompson said: "At a meeting of the board this morning, the FA board unanimously decided to terminate the contract of the England head coach Steve McClaren with immediate effect."Like every England fan, we are all bitterly disappointed that we have failed to qualify for Euro 2008."I know that Steve feels that disappointment more than anyone."FA chief executive Brian Barwick said: "I would like to apologise to the fans personally."I care about this passionately. I'm in this job because I care about football and football fans and football teams."I understand that we have let them down and I apologise for that."Euro 2008, which is to be held in Austria and Switzerland, is the first major tournament England have failed to qualify for since the 1994 World Cup.McClaren was promoted to head coach when Sven-Goran Eriksson stood down after the 2006 World Cup.McClaren was in charge for 18 games, winning nine times but losing five, including his last two qualifiers against Russia and Croatia, where a single point would have been good enough to send England through.The FA will now begin the search for McClaren's replacement.Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is one of the favourites, but he says international management is a job for an older man.© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.

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ITN | November 22, 2007

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