STEVE McCLAREN shrugged off the notion yesterday that David Beckham’s exile was a flash of steel that a cosseted England squad would do well to heed, yet training sessions under the new head coach have suddenly become a little tasty.
A different era, another man to impress and an end to all the usual certainties can have a wonderful effect on focusing minds.
For all the fondness that lingers for Sven-Göran Eriksson — the chief demand leading players have of a manager is to pick them and, in that respect, the Swede was seldom unreliable — five years in the job was enough for the environment to grow stale. The novelty of McClaren’s appointment may not endure (Eriksson’s arrival prompted a similar response), but for now it is a powerful weapon.
“Maybe in the past we’ve come away — especially when we’ve got a couple of days’ training — and we’ve half- expected to take it easy in the build-up to the game,” John Terry, the captain, said. “But the lads have said how sharp the tempo has been this week, just like how it is at club level, and maybe it’s not been like that before. It’s something Steve wants to get here. To have that sets the tone in the camp.”
As one of the most high- profile figures in the McClaren regime, Terry has a vested interest in lavishing praise on it, but according to the Chelsea defender, the spikiness of the players reflects their renewed determination. It will take more than words to convince a sceptical public to embrace the team after the disappointing showing in the World Cup finals, but the intentions are honest.
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“We’ve already had a good chat amongst ourselves and we need to take it to that next level,” Terry said. “Forget everyone saying that we’re a good side. We’re not a good side. We realise that. We need to show we’re a good side against great teams. We can only do that through performances and results. As players, we’re aware of the disappointment and it’s something we want to put right. We’ ve got a point to prove.”
The example of Greece, this evening’s opposition at Old Trafford, is appropriate. They won Euro 2004 through effort and fitness, rather than flair and reputation. “They didn’t have the strongest players, but they had a team,” Terry said. “If we can have that as a base, it’s something to build on.” Club requirements in England take a hefty toll, but the comparison is still valid.
Terry will be a less visible but more voluble captain than Beckham, who swallowed the distress of his own exile to congratulate his successor. “Becks was the first person to call me after I found out the news, which was amazing,” Terry said. “He wished me good luck and told me to enjoy my time as captain. He said he was always at the end of the phone for me if I needed anything. It was really nice, really special.”
The pre-match huddle, a feature of Beckham’s tenure, will remain in situ, but Terry’s leadership will be starker. “I remember seeing captains in the past, when they’ve thrown themselves in front of the ball, won a tackle or a header, and it was something that really inspired me, that made me think, ‘I want a bit of that,’ ” he said. As at Stamford Bridge, new England call-ups will be asked to entertain their peers with a song.
Democracy and equality are Terry’s aim — “it’s important that responsibility is shared amongst the players and it’s good to get an opinion throughout the squad,” he said — and after the aridity of the Eriksson years, emotion will be unleashed.
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“When you look at the players in the squad, they’re very similar to myself,” Terry said. “They like to give it absolutely everything. We want to play with our hearts.”