‘Embarrassed’ FA had to act

FA CHAIRMAN Geoff Thompson has admitted England’s failure to qualify for next summer’s Euro 2008 finals is an “embarrassment” which left his board with no choice but to sack manager Steve McClaren.

McClaren was officially axed, along with assistant Terry Venables, following an emergency meeting of the 12-man panel at Soho Square yesterday morning – in the wake of the capitulation to Croatia at Wembley.

The search will now begin for a new manager, just 15 months and 18 games after McClaren was appointed, as the FA conduct a “full root-and-branch examination of the whole England senior team set-up.”