04 May 2006
VIDEO: Steve McClaren announcement

On the day that he was confirmed as the next England Head Coach, Steve McClaren speaks to the media

England head coach-elect Steve McClaren has already launched a revolution in our national game.

The Middlesbrough manager has presided over the growth of the club's renowned academy in his five years on Teesside.

And the fruits of Boro's labour are there for all to see.

On Sunday, in his final Premiership game as Boro boss, McClaren realised a dream for chairman Steve Gibson when he named a fledgling 16-man match-day squad at Fulham with no fewer than 15 players born within roughly 30 miles of the Riverside Stadium.

Not only that, but all 16 were English - and the average age of the side that started the game was just 20.

This will come as no surprise to those who have watched McClaren put together his very own England squad at Boro's impressive training base at Hurworth, near Darlington.

Boro boast 19 England internationals from senior down to Under-16 level and 12 of them were on duty at Craven Cottage.

The signs were there when Boro won the FA Youth Cup in 2004, a year after losing in the final to Manchester United.

And McClaren has not been afraid to throw his young guns into the first team - he set a club record for Boro when he fielded eight academy players in the recent Premiership home game against Everton.

One who featured that day was midfielder Lee Cattermole, whose emergence this season was capped when he captained Boro against Fulham to become the Teessiders' youngest-ever skipper at 18.

McClaren said: "Hopefully, we've seen what will be the core of the first team in three or four years' time.

"I say to all the young players that, if they want to play for their country, they have to play well for their club.

"We have good youngsters here and I'm very proud of that. The academy was running when I came here and it was doing very well but we've given the youngsters an opportunity and they've taken it.

"But I have to thank my predecessor, Bryan Robson, because he was in charge here when the academy was created and Dave Parnaby, who has done a great job as academy manager.''