Bluedaddio suggested the appointment of Steve McClaren as England manager as a farce worthy of consideration.
McClaren, of course, had had a good run in the UEFA cup with Middlesbrough. In the league... not so much. The FA, as late as April, were reputed to have a shortlist including McClaren, Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, Sam Allardyce, Alan Curbishley and Martin O'Neill. It was a painful saga, even for those of us watching with amused neutrality.
Here things become a little hazy. It was alleged that Scolari was offered the England job but then turned it down citing media intrusion. However, he later apologised for suggesting that was the case. In the end, the FA opted for McClaren, who at least had the important quality of being English.
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McClaren has taken up where Sven-Goran Eriksson left off in providing uninspiring, at-most-halfway-competent team selections, formations and performances. It's hardly a first offence for the FA on this front - I'd cite Taylor, Keegan and Hoddle off the top of my head as desperately poor choices for the job. Yet it's a job nobody in their right mind would want to do. Is it the case that England fans have unrealistic expectations of what their team should achieve? How much difference does the coach really make to the team? How would you have done things differently?