Former England Boss Recalls Terrifying Arsenal Encounter
Steve McClaren, the former England national team manager, has made a startling admission about his early days in football management. The 64-year-old revealed he was so overwhelmed by the prospect of facing Arsene Wenger's Arsenal that he hid in a toilet cubicle and refused to come out until the legendary French manager had left the vicinity.
A Baptism of Fire at Middlesbrough
McClaren's revelation came during an appearance on The Managers podcast with Mick McCarthy and Tony Pulis, where he recalled his difficult first weeks as Middlesbrough manager in 2001. Despite being a vastly experienced coach who had served as Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant at Manchester United and held the same role within the England setup under Sven Goran Eriksson, McClaren found the transition to being the main boss unexpectedly challenging.
"I went in there and thought I'd play like Man United," McClaren explained, "but the first four games, we'd not won, scored no goals and conceded 13 goals. 'Point and clueless McClaren', that's what they called me. No one prepares you. 1,000 decisions a day, [like] what colour socks to wear in training…"
The Arsenal Confrontation That Triggered Panic
The situation reached a crisis point when Middlesbrough were scheduled to face Wenger's Arsenal. This was at the height of the fierce rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester United, a conflict McClaren had witnessed firsthand as Ferguson's number two. The prospect of facing such an imposing manager and team with his struggling Middlesbrough side proved almost too much to bear.
"We played Arsenal and before the game I looked and went, 'Oh my god, I just passed Arsene Wenger,'" McClaren recalled. "And we used to be real rivals, didn't we? I've gone, 'I've got to play him with this team, not Man United'. I couldn't get out of the toilet. I was going, 'Come on, McClaren, you've got to face it, come on, get out there!'"
Tactical Reassessment and Subsequent Success
After this humbling experience, McClaren realized he needed to completely rethink his approach. He abandoned attempts to replicate Manchester United's style with inferior players and adopted a more pragmatic system suited to Middlesbrough's squad.
"There was no way I could play the Man United way, I had to have a rethink," he admitted. "We had big Brian Deane [a target man] and I put him in the team. I had [Alen] Boksic. So we had Brian Deane and Boksic and all I did was: Two banks of four. I said, 'You four [the defenders], just keep a clean sheet and we'll win the game 1-0'. I changed it completely."
Career Highlights and Later Challenges
Following that rocky start, McClaren enjoyed considerable success with Middlesbrough, winning the League Cup in 2004 and reaching the UEFA Cup final in 2006, where they lost to Sevilla. After the 2006 World Cup, he replaced Eriksson as England manager, only to be sacked after the Three Lions failed to qualify for Euro 2008.
McClaren returned to club management and achieved notable success by winning the Dutch league title with FC Twente in 2010. His subsequent managerial career included spells at:
- Wolfsburg
- Nottingham Forest
- FC Twente (second spell)
- Derby County (two separate spells)
- Newcastle United
- Queens Park Rangers
However, these later appointments brought limited success. Most recently, McClaren resigned from his position with the Jamaican national team late last year after they were narrowly pipped to World Cup qualification by minnows Curacao.
The candid revelation about his early managerial fears provides a rare glimpse into the psychological pressures faced by football managers, even those with extensive coaching experience. McClaren's story illustrates how even the most prepared professionals can be overwhelmed by the demands of top-level management, particularly when facing legendary figures like Arsene Wenger at the peak of their powers.
