Sven Goran Eriksson's successor went through his final season as Middlesbrough coach switching from 4-4-2 to 4-5-1 to 4-3-3 depending on the circumstances and, after scrutinising his team's first-half performance from the stand, was always ready to make changes, often bringing three players off the bench at one time.
He also brought 18 products of the Riverside youth academy into his first team in two seasons after headhunting Paul Barron and Steve Harrison as his assistants.
Nonetheless, as Jonathan Northcroft points out in The Sunday Times: ‘McClaren is thinking about how to use Venables' wisdom, but should he fail Venables' many sympathisers in the media will clamour for Venables back in charge.'
Martin Jol writes: 'Of course England are capable of once again winning a major tournament, but the long, hard journey starts here and hopefully Steve McClaren will do better with the talent available. I still believe top English footballers such as Steven Gerrard are among the world's best. But the team should be the star — always. McClaren has some great young players with which to fashion a new collective, starting with Aaron Lennon. It will be difficult for McClaren to find the balance between bringing through new players and keeping happy established ones he might need to rely upon. England have so many big talents emerging: Lennon, Steven Taylor, Tom Huddlestone, Darren Bent, Jermain Defoe, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Stewart Downing, Andy Johnson, Michael Dawson and Curtis Davies are just a few. Perhaps Theo Walcott can also be part of McClaren's future and possibly Carlton Cole.
The question is: do England have a vision? What strategy are McClaren and the FA going to put in place to develop a new team? there needs to be continuity and clarity in not just the formations learnt by players coming through the system but also the principles. Do England believe in wingers? Do they want to use a pressing game? If so, where will their players press and when? The most important thing is England's players develop more tactical flexibility. At the top level, a rigid 4-4-2 is dead. We don't need a revolution. Play with one winger and give one midfielder (I'd suggest Gerrard) genuine attacking freedom and you've got a 7-3 block - seven defensive players and three attackers. Then, when England are strong enough, McClaren can think about playing with two wingers, or two strikers together with his attacking midfielder and winger, to make a 6-4 block. England need more imagination from midfield, more penetration and more flank play. You should never lose the old English ingredients: character, defensive strength, dedication. No player is more dedicated than an English player.'