Former-England boss Steve McClaren is set to return to the Dutch Eredivisie with his former-club FC Twente.
McClaren started the season off as Nottingham Forest boss but quit after just a few months in charge because a terrible run of form.
Hero
Steve McClaren is something of a hero in Enschede after leading the town’s team to the Dutch league title in 2010.
Not many sets of fans consider McClaren in such high esteem as the fans of FC Twente. Fans of England, Wolfsburg and Forest believe that McClaren is an incompetent buffoon.
Standard
Steve McClaren has struggled in international football, in the Bundesliga and in the Championship. Maybe the Eredivisie is the Yorkshireman’s level. I always thought he was a decent manager but never a boss that could manage at the top level.
He proved that with the England national team. However the fact that McClaren failed in the second tier of English football really did surprise me. McClaren and Nottingham Forest seemed like a really good match. It didn’t work out and Forest are now struggling down the wrong end of the Championship table.
Laughing stock
Before McClaren joined FC Twente he was regarded as something of a laughing stock in England but the club appointed him anyway. McClaren took a chance by moving to Holland but he had to in order to restore his reputation. His attempts at doing interviews in a Dutch accent made him look like a complete idiot.
However the move turned out to be a successful one for both parties first time around. McClaren hasn’t officially been announced as FC Twente boss but he is expected to replace Co Adriaanse in the next few days.
Revive
Steve McClaren’s career is again in tatters after his ill-fated stint in the Midlands. Maybe a return to the Eredivisie is what he needs to revive his flagging career. The FC Twente fans are likely to welcome the 50 year-old’s return to the club.
FC Twente are currently third in the Eredivisie table, five points behind league leaders AZ Alkmaar. It’s not an insurmountable lead to overcome and Twente could still comeback to claim the crown. It seems that FC Twente and Steve McClaren need each other.
Neither have enjoyed success since their split in 2010 and the reunion could be fruitful for both of them. McClaren really needs to be successful in his next position or he will be written off as a complete failure.
Chance
He may never be offered a job at the top level of football again if he fails at Twente. This is Steve McClaren’s last chance. I believe that Steve McClaren ended up in Holland to avoid the British media and try to become a better manager.
Steve McClaren has always struck me as a decent guy and I don’t think he deserved the stick he got when he was England boss. I’m sure he has ambitions of one day returning to the Premier League and succeeding but first he has to start to restore his shattered reputation in Holland.
Can Steve McClaren succeed at FC Twente?
