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McClaren Smiles Over English Open

England`s national soccer team coach, Steve McClaren, could not hope for a better start. His team destroyed Greece 4-0 in an effortless ride through their first international friendly since World Cup 2006. McClaren was getting a lot of heat back home, following his decision not to include David Beckham in the team. McClaren has a vision of a new era in English soccer, and for now, his era seems promising.

It was almost poetic as John Terry, England`s new captain and Beckham`s substitute, scored the first goal ? the first ever McClaren led English goal. Following Terry`s score came Frank Lampard`s contribution to the team, and Peter Crouch scored twice to seal the victory and crashed Greece completely.

This is the best start that any English manager has enjoyed in the last 60 years. The last time that England opened this strong was back in 1946 when Walter Winterbottom`s team left Northern Ireland soar with a 7-2 scoreline. Although Beckham was missing, the majority of the players played under Sven-Goran Eriksson in Germany, and McClaren simply made a few tweaks to that arrangement.