MX23RW : Wednesday, April 9 16:45:21| >> :600:800715:800715:

On This Day in 2006: Steve McClaren kicks off England reign with win over Greece at Old Trafford

The Three Lions beat Greece 4-0 on August 16, 2006 at Old Trafford to get Steve McClaren off to the perfect start.

England had heavily courted Luiz Felipe "Big Phil" Scolari to succeed Sven-Goran Eriksson after the 2006 World Cup, only to be rebuffed by the former Brazil boss.

Scolari did not want the media intrusion, but former Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren had no such concerns, and duly assumed the reins, just in time to oversee the clash with Greece at Old Trafford on August 16, 2006.

McClaren's stint would end up the second-shortest of any England boss behind Sam Allardyce and finish with him staring forlornly into the Wembley drizzle under an umbrella in a 3-2 defeat by Croatia in November 2017.

SOCCER – Friendly International – England v Greece – Old Trafford, Manchester.
Steve McClaren, left, started his England stint with a facile victory over Greece (Martin Rickett/PA)

But at the beginning there was only optimism for another new England dawn, as McClaren's men brushed past Greece 4-0 without issue.

John Terry toasted his captaincy debut by nodding in the opener, latching onto Stewart Downing's header into the box.

Frank Lampard profited from a deflected shot for the second, before Peter Crouch turned home from short range.

Rangy striker Crouch then headed home the fourth to wrap up a facile England win, but could not complete a hat-trick despite several more promising chances.

SOCCER – Friendly International – England v Greece – Old Trafford, Manchester.
Peter Crouch, left, celebrates his second goal in England's win over Greece with captain John Terry, right (Martin Rickett/PA)

Steven Gerrard featured on the right flank as McClaren looked to steer England beyond the David Beckham-era, a move he would later reverse.

McClaren had promised his England would play without fear, and while he was able to deliver that under precious little duress against the limited Greeks, there was to be no long-term realisation of that vow.

McClaren's tenure was to last just 18 games and 16 months, after which he was eventually replaced by Italian Fabio Capello.

ID:410473: cacheID:410473:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5414:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain limps off for Liverpool during the Champions League final on May 26, 2018
Read Next:
On this Day in 2011: Arsenal sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Southampton
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool31227272304273
2Arsenal311711356263062
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest31176851371457
4Chelsea31158854371753
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle30165952391353
6Manchester CityMan City31157957401752
7Aston Villa3114984646051
8Fulham3113994742548
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton31121184947247
10Bournemouth311291051401145
11Crystal Palace30111093935443
12Brentford31126135147442
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd31108133741-438
14Tottenham HotspurSpurs311141658451337
15Everton31714103338-535
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham3198143552-1735
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves3195174359-1632
18Ipswich TownIpswich3148193165-3420
19Leicester CityLeicester3145222570-4517
20Southampton3124252374-5110


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!