McClaren warns England stars - no job guarantees
AFP, September, 2006
MANCHESTER, England (AFP) — England manager Steve McClaren has warned that his players would have to fight for their jobs in a striking departure from the selection policy employed by his predecessor Sven-Goran Eriksson. McClaren was speaking after England's 5-0 demolition of lowly Andorra in Saturday's Euro 2008 qualifier which left them top of Group E ahead of Wednesday's trip to Macedonia.
The Old Trafford win was achieved without five England regulars - Michael Owen, Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville and Joe Cole were all missing through injury and Wayne Rooney was banned. But the new boss stressed that no-one can expect to walk straight back into the team - and no-one can assume they will stay in. McClaren said: "Nobody is a permanent fixture and no-one can count on having a shirt all the time. "They have to work hard for their clubs in between and show form and then, ...