The previous time Steve McClaren had been under this sort of strain — after the wretched victory over Andorra in March — he had angrily told his critics to “write what you like”. No need for the shell-shocked head coach to do that in Moscow yesterday.

They will write exactly what they like about McClaren and about Brian Barwick, the FA chief executive who appointed the head coach against the wishes of just about everyone. England’s corpse may be twitching, but the post mortem will start immediately.

It will be brutal on McClaren, although, having blown his brains out in one tabloid cartoon, he may wonder if anything worse can be thrown at him. A proper forensic investigation will prove that his biggest weakness has been the inability to banish the deep-rooted insecurities of this able but fragile bunch of players. Steven Gerrard’s half-hearted volley, which could have put England 2-0 ahead and on the plane to Euro 2008 — was more than a bad miss. It was the symptom of a deep malaise.

There is a collective mental weakness that normally shows itself in penalty shoot-outs. In Moscow, it surfaced the minute England conceded an equaliser. For all the tinkering with team and tactics, McClaren’s biggest challenge has been to give his side a new, resilient personality. And it appears that he has failed. Even if Russia stumble and there is a reprieve.

Expert View

Like most bullies, England are not so brave when the battle is beyond home turf

Martin Samuel

• More

• Post a comment

BACKGROUND

• England's hopes take a dive

• Four minutes of madness cost England dear

• Vultures circle over McClaren’s regime

• Failure to learn from mistakes of Euro 2004

BACKGROUND

• How England rated

• Praying for good news from Holy Land

• Rolling out green carpet proves immaterial

• Russia reaps rewards of Abramovich’s affections

The strong likelihood is that England will be condemned to the most embarrassing failure by a leading nation since Louis van Gaal’s Holland team missed the 2002 World Cup finals. Ruud van Nistelrooy disappeared on holiday to the United States because he thought that it was the easiest country in the world to escape football. That anonymity beckons for players of the calibre of Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney. The men whom the FA had dubbed the Golden Generation.

There are technical failings (a half-decent goalkeeper would be nice, for instance) and McClaren has had some rotten luck with injuries. But his attempts to blame the officials yesterday for a dubious penalty decision were no more convincing than Graham Taylor’s complaints about the referee when his regime reached its nadir in Rotterdam in 1993.

That failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup finals is the most recent time an England team did not reach a leading tournament and plenty will see parallels between Taylor and McClaren; decent English club managers with limited CVs. Taylor’s first job after England was to manage Wolverhampton Wanderers. McClaren will not be touting for business yet, but the fight has drained out of him to judge from the post-match press conference.

Wherever Barwick was, he must also have resembled a man who has just been mugged. The FA has been relatively crisis-free in the past 12 months. Wembley Stadium has opened, new sponsorship deals have been signed and the constitution has been dragged into the 21st century. But no one cares about the Burns Report on days such as this. And there is no point spending £757 million on an empty stadium.

Barwick’s most important job is to keep the flagship part of the operation — the England team — in good shape because it generates the interest and the money. Unless there is a stunning reversal of fortune — and you would have to say that it is Goodnight Vienna for England — the failure to qualify will be a lasting stain on his regime.

Searching questions will be asked again of how he handled the managerial search that led to McClaren’s appointment, not least because he is likely to have to start one again in the new year. There were those within the FA who felt that an Englishman should get the job — and it is not an unreasonable position to believe that recruiting a foreign coach is akin to sneaking an unfair advantage. McClaren was the best of his countrymen.

But the sad truth is that for all the money sloshing around English football, the game has never been at a lower ebb when it comes to producing home-grown managers. Only a hired foreign hand can make the most of these players.

Whoever followed Sven-Göran Eriksson had a big job to make winners out of players who had become accustomed to failure. Now the next man will find a squad with even deeper neuroses. It requires a manager with a big personality. José Mourinho is available.

Mourinho next for FA?

If England fail to qualify for next summer’s European Championship finals, it will leave Steve McClaren’s position as head coach in jeopardy. Who could replace him?

José Mourinho Landing the former Chelsea manager would be a coup, but he may be wanted by Portugal, too. Claimed last month that he had no immediate international ambitions 11-2

Luiz Felipe Scolari Turned his back on the FA in April 2006 when favourite for the post. In charge of Portugal 6-1

Guus Hiddink Extended his contract as Russia coach by two years last week 7-1

Sam Allardyce Among the four candidates last time, but now in charge of Newcastle United 8-1

Arsène Wenger The FA has wanted the Arsenal manager before but he has never shown an interest in taking the job 8-1 Alan Curbishley Got down to the last four previously 10-1

Marcello Lippi Led Italy to World Cup glory in 2006 12-1

Martin O’Neill Aston Villa manager in the fray last time 14-1

Fabio Capello Left Real Madrid after winning title last term 16-1

Odds supplied by William Hill