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If Steve McClaren is the answer, Leeds United are asking the wrong question.
Managerwise, not a secret that Steve McClaren was in the directors box on Saturday. Jaap Stam looks to have reached the end of the line at Reading and Leeds had him on their shortlist in the summer. #lufc
— Phil Hay (@PhilHayYEP) February 4, 2018
As we reported yesterday, Steve McLaren was in the director’s box at Elland Road yesterday. It’s never a good sign to see an out of work manager sitting with the owner, and it’s especially not good to see one in the box when your team is on a poor run of form and when the team goes out and loses the way it did against Cardiff City.
It seemed like Thomas Christiansen knew the end was coming after his quotes to the press after the match, and while it seems a bit harsh to some fans, the club has bombed out of a playoff spot after a miserable run of form amid a plethora of red cards and a lack of discipline.
However, McClaren’s track record in England isn’t very good since he left Middlesbrough for the England job. Let’s not forget that McLaren managed to not qualify for the Euros while boss of the national team, and while he’s remit himself decently in The Netherlands with FC Twente, his time with teams in the Championship and Premier League has all ended in tears.
McClaren has managed Derby County twice since returning to England, and has also taken charge of Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United in that time. His record at Derby wasn’t terrible, but given the spending and investment that Derby has invested in that squad, the results should have been better. His replacement at Derby County, Gary Rowett, has Derby in the automatic promotion spots this season, and have an impressive 16-9-5 record, with a goal difference of +24.
His time at Nottingham Forest was dismal. The club limped out to a poor record, 3 wins, 3 draws, and 7 losses, and he was sacked in early October. After that, he also was the boss at Newcastle United in the 2015-16 season, before being sacked in March. The club still went down, and his replacement, Rafa Benitez, won the Championship the next season and has the club back in the Premier League, despite the lack of investment that McClaren had at his disposal.
McClaren’s biggest success in English football was winning the 2004 League Cup while at Middlesbrough, but he’s never recreated that success since at any of his destinations. He has looked completely out of his depth while in the Premier League with Newcastle or in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg. It’s not worthwhile to hire a retread whose biggest accomplishment happened 14 years ago. There are better options out there.