Steve McClaren facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Steve McClaren

McClaren as manager of Twente in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Stephen McClaren
Date of birth	(1961-05-03) 3 May 1961 (age 64)
Place of birth	Fulford, England
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Jamaica (Head coach)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1979–1985	Hull City	178	(16)
1985–1988	Derby County	25	(0)
1987	→ Lincoln City (loan)	8	(0)
1988–1989	Bristol City	61	(2)
1989–1992	Oxford United	33	(0)
Total		305	(18)
Managerial career
2001–2006	Middlesbrough
2006–2007	England
2008–2010	Twente
2010–2011	VfL Wolfsburg
2011	Nottingham Forest
2012–2013	Twente
2013–2015	Derby County
2015–2016	Newcastle United
2016–2017	Derby County
2018–2019	Queens Park Rangers
2024–	Jamaica
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Stephen McClaren (born 3 May 1961) is an English football coach and former player. He is currently the manager of the Jamaica national team.

McClaren started his coaching career with Oxford United. He then joined Derby County in 1995. In 1999, he became assistant manager to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. He stayed there for two years.

After that, he became the manager of Middlesbrough. Under his leadership, Middlesbrough won their first major trophy, the League Cup, in 2004. They also reached the final of the UEFA Cup in 2006. In August 2006, McClaren was chosen to manage the England national team. However, he was dismissed a year later when England did not qualify for UEFA Euro 2008.

In 2008, McClaren became the manager of the Dutch club Twente. He helped them win their first ever Eredivisie championship in 2010. He then moved to Germany to manage VfL Wolfsburg, but he left mid-season. After a short time at Nottingham Forest, he returned to Twente in 2012. His second time at Twente was not as successful, and he resigned in 2013.

He later returned to Derby County, leading them to the play-offs in the 2013–14 season. They did not win promotion, and he was dismissed in 2015. He then managed Newcastle United but left after less than a year. He had another short period as Derby manager from 2016 to 2017. In 2018, McClaren became manager of Queens Park Rangers, leaving in April 2019.

Early Life and Playing Days

Stephen McClaren was born on May 3, 1961, in Fulford, York, England. His parents were Margaret and Brian McClaren. He was described as being "Yorkshire born and bred."

As a child, McClaren went to Nunthorpe Grammar School. He chose this school because it focused a lot on sports. He cycled four miles every day to get there, showing his strong desire to succeed in sports. At school, he played rugby, tennis, and squash. He was also the captain of his school's football team. He played for York Boys under-15 team and represented the county of Yorkshire. People remember him as a "tidy" and "skilful" midfielder.

Playing Career Highlights

McClaren played as a midfielder for most of his career in the lower leagues of English football. He joined Hull City in 1979 when he was 18. He played 178 games for them and scored 16 goals before leaving in 1985.

After Hull City, he played for Derby County from 1985 to 1988, appearing in 25 matches. In 1987, he had a short loan spell at Lincoln City. In 1988, he moved to Bristol City, playing 61 games and scoring two goals. His last club was Oxford United, which he joined in 1989. He played 33 times for Oxford before an injury forced him to retire in 1992.

Coaching and Managerial Journey

Starting as a Coach

After he stopped playing, McClaren began coaching. He worked as a youth and reserve team coach at Oxford United. In 1995, he returned to Derby County as an assistant manager. In their first season, they helped the team get promoted to the Premier League.

In 1999, McClaren joined Manchester United as an assistant to the famous manager Alex Ferguson. He was not very well known at the time. In his first half-season, Manchester United won "the treble." This meant they won the Premier League title, the FA Cup, and the UEFA Champions League. He became known as a very smart coach, using modern methods like video analysis. Manchester United also won the league titles in 2000 and 2001 while he was there.

In October 2000, McClaren also became a coach for the England national team. He worked with managers Peter Taylor and Sven-Göran Eriksson. He continued this role until November 2002. He returned to help Eriksson again before UEFA Euro 2004 and stayed until the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Managing Middlesbrough

At the end of the 2000–01 season, McClaren decided he wanted to be a main manager. He was appointed manager of Middlesbrough. This happened after former Manchester United captain Bryan Robson resigned. In his first season, Middlesbrough reached the FA Cup semi-final. They finished 12th in the league. The next season, they improved slightly, finishing 11th.

The 2004 League Cup Final between Middlesbrough and Bolton Wanderers at the Millennium Stadium

In the 2003–04 season, McClaren led Middlesbrough to win the League Cup. They beat Bolton Wanderers 2–1 in the final. This was the club's first major trophy ever! It also meant they qualified for a European competition for the first time in their 128-year history. After this, McClaren brought in experienced players like Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Mark Viduka. These new players helped the club reach the round of 16 in the UEFA Cup. They also finished seventh in the Premier League, their best finish since 1975.

The 2005–06 season was very exciting for Middlesbrough under McClaren. They had some tough times in the league, including a 7–0 loss to Arsenal. However, they did very well in cup competitions. They reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the final of the UEFA Cup. In the UEFA Cup, Middlesbrough made amazing comebacks in the quarter and semi-finals. They scored four goals in each game to win. However, in the final, they lost 4–0 to Sevilla.

McClaren's five years at Middlesbrough made him their most successful manager. He was the first to win a major trophy and lead them to European competition. He was also the most successful English manager of the early 21st century. He was the first Englishman to win a major trophy since 1996 and reach a European final with an English club since 1985.

Managing England

In January 2006, Sven-Göran Eriksson announced he would leave as England manager. McClaren was one of the top choices to replace him. On May 4, 2006, McClaren was announced as the new England manager. He signed a four-year contract. Some people called him "Second Choice Steve" because another manager had turned down the job first.

McClaren's first big decision was to choose a new England captain. He gave the armband to John Terry, a defender from Chelsea. McClaren also decided to drop some older players like David Beckham to try a "different direction."

England started their qualification for UEFA Euro 2008 well with two wins. But then they had a poor run, scoring only one goal in five matches. This made them drop to fourth in their qualification group. During a match against Andorra in March 2007, fans were unhappy with England's performance. McClaren left the press conference early.

In May 2007, McClaren changed his mind and brought David Beckham back into the England squad. England then won four out of six matches, which improved their chances for Euro 2008. However, a loss to Russia in October 2007 made their qualification difficult.

On November 21, 2007, England played Croatia in their final group match. England needed to avoid a loss to qualify, but they lost 3–2. This meant England failed to qualify for Euro 2008. It was the first time since the 1994 FIFA World Cup that England had not qualified for a major tournament.

The next day, the FA decided to dismiss McClaren. Many in the media criticized his tactics and player choices. McClaren's time as England manager was very short, lasting only 18 games in 16 months.

Adventures Abroad: Twente and Wolfsburg

In February 2008, McClaren said he would consider managing in England or abroad. In May, he was linked with the Dutch club Twente. He was confirmed as their new manager on June 20.

McClaren as manager of Twente in 2012

McClaren had a great start to the 2008–09 season with Twente. They finished second in the Eredivisie league and reached the final of the KNVB Cup. They also did well in the UEFA Cup, getting past the group stages.

In his second season, 2009–10, McClaren led Twente to the top of the Eredivisie. On May 2, 2010, Twente won their first ever Eredivisie championship after a 2–0 win against NAC Breda. McClaren became the first Englishman to manage a team to a top-level domestic league title since Bobby Robson in 1996. He said winning the championship in a foreign country made him stronger. At the end of the season, McClaren won the Rinus Michels Award for Dutch manager of the season.

Despite his success, McClaren left Twente on May 11, 2010. He became the manager of the German Bundesliga team VfL Wolfsburg. This made him the first Englishman to manage a German top-flight football club. Wolfsburg had a tough start under McClaren. After more poor results, he was dismissed on February 7, 2011.

Return to England and Twente Again

McClaren became the manager of Nottingham Forest on June 13, 2011. He signed several new players for the club. However, after only winning eight points from his first ten league games, McClaren resigned on October 2, 2011.

McClaren as manager of Twente in 2012

On January 5, 2012, Twente announced that McClaren was returning as their manager for a second time. He said it was an "easy decision" to come back and he wanted to win the Eredivisie title again. His return was welcomed by the fans. Twente started the 2012–13 season well, winning their first six league matches. However, after growing criticism from supporters, McClaren resigned on February 26, 2013. He stated that the club was more important than any individual.

Back to Derby County and Newcastle

On July 2, 2013, McClaren joined Harry Redknapp's coaching staff at Queens Park Rangers. However, in September, he returned to Derby County as head coach. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract. Derby's first game after his appointment was a 4–4 draw, where McClaren gave a "rousing" speech at halftime. His first two games in charge resulted in wins.

Derby had a great run in December 2013, earning McClaren the Championship Manager of the Month award. In the 2013–14 season, Derby finished third in the Championship. They qualified for the play-offs. After beating Brighton & Hove Albion, Derby faced QPR in the final at Wembley Stadium. They lost 1–0 in the last minute.

Derby started the 2014–15 season strongly, topping the table three times. However, their form dropped sharply after February. They missed out on the play-offs on the last day of the season. McClaren was dismissed by Derby on May 25, 2015.

On June 10, 2015, McClaren was appointed head coach of Newcastle United in the Premier League. He signed a three-year deal. On October 18, he won his first Premier League game with Newcastle, a 6–2 victory against Norwich City. This was his first Premier League win since 2006. Six days after a 3–1 home defeat, McClaren was dismissed by Newcastle on March 11, 2016.

Later Coaching Roles

McClaren returned to Derby County on October 12, 2016, for a second time as manager. His first game was a 1–0 win against Leeds United. He was dismissed again on March 12, 2017. In August 2017, McClaren joined Maccabi Tel Aviv as a coaching consultant. He left this role in December.

On May 18, 2018, McClaren was appointed as the new manager of Queens Park Rangers. He signed a two-year contract. However, he was dismissed on April 1, 2019, after a poor run of results.

McClaren returned to Derby County again on November 24, 2020, as technical director. He stepped down from this role in September 2021 but remained as a part-time senior adviser. On May 23, 2022, it was confirmed that McClaren would return to Manchester United. He joined manager Erik ten Hag as part of his coaching staff.

On July 31, 2024, McClaren was named the national coach of the Jamaican men's team.

Personal Life

Steve McClaren is married to Kathryn, and they have three sons. In 2006, McClaren lived in Yarm. When he became manager of VfL Wolfsburg, he moved to Germany with his wife and youngest son.

Managerial Statistics

Honours and Achievements

As a Player

Derby County

• Football League Second Division: 1986–87

As a Manager

Middlesbrough

• Football League Cup: 2003–04
• UEFA Cup runner-up: 2005–06

Twente

• Eredivisie: 2009–10

Individual Awards

• Rinus Michels Award: 2010

See also

In Spanish: Steve McClaren para niños

Images for kids

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  McClaren as manager of Twente in 2012

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  McClaren as manager of Twente in 2012