Graphic: Bill Edgar's tactical analysis

As the man he appointed captain of his country, it came as little surprise that John Terry should emerge from a shell-shocked dressing-room to offer token support for Steve McClaren, though many of his team-mates are already contemplating who will replace him as England’s head coach.

Steven Gerrard, who captained the side last night, refused to give his backing to McClaren and even indicated that he could resign, though he will not be given that opportunity because the FA is likely to dismiss him after an emergency board meeting this morning. Rather than being castigated for disloyalty, the Liverpool midfield player should be praised for his reluctance to deal in weasel words.

“The manager hasn’t said much and it’s pointless saying much after a game like that,” Gerrard said. “I’m sure the manager will speak to you guys at some point. I’m not sure what he’s going to decide to do, but he’ll let you guys know pretty soon. It’s difficult to comment on the manager so soon after a game like this, but from a player’s point of view we’ve got to take the criticism and try to bounce back.

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English football has to be better than this; and, when it is not, the man in charge knows what to expect

Martin Samuel

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BACKGROUND

• McClaren sacked as England coach

• Dismissal is no compensation for England fans

• Jitters destroy England’s composure

• Turnip or terrific? Fans give answer to McClaren

BACKGROUND

• How England rated

• If O’Neill says no, will the FA call Klinsmann?

• Terry defends man in charge

• Why England will be sorely missed in finals

BACKGROUND

• Let’s not just blame the team, blame the Americans too

• Good riddance to fear factors

• Echoes of Bogota as Croatia official is accused of shoplifting

• Seven deadly sins

BACKGROUND

• McClaren: the buck stops with me

• Analysis: Gabriele Marcotti

• 'Not even prepared to get his hair wet!' - the fans' verdict

• Barwick: McClaren had to go

BACKGROUND

• England's qualifying horrors

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• England fans: let off steam here

• How the drama unfolded

• Is McClaren a scapegoat?

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• What you should do next summer

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• England's qualifying horrors

Multimedia

• How the drama unfolded

“It’ll take a long time, but there’s a lot more football to play in the future. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves and have to get it out of our system. We can’t have any excuses — that’s the easy way out. As players we have to take responsibility.”

Even Terry’s supportive stance came across as a posthumous tribute, the Chelsea defender making a Freudian slip into the past tense when discussing McClaren.

“Full support to Steve McClaren — it’s been great working with him, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed it,” Terry said. “We take collective responsibility — it’s not just Steve, it’s the players. We are the ones not getting the right results. Collectively we all take responsibility. It’s not for Steve to come out and take it all on his shoulders. As an England football team we all take big responsibility.”

With more searing honesty, Gerrard conceded that England were naive to push for a winner after Peter Crouch’s equaliser, though he was more sympathetic towards Scott Carson, the hapless goalkeeper.

“Scott is obviously disappointed as he knows he’s made a mistake, but he’s a young lad with a bright future,” Gerrard said. “He’s got to get it out of his system as soon as possible, but I’m good friends with Scott and really feel for him.

“It hasn’t really sunk in just yet, but obviously it’s a really disappointing night, probably my most disappointing in an England shirt so far. The second half was a big improvement, but when we got back into the game we should have shut up shop. When you get back into the game like that you’ve got to see it out and take the draw, but we took risks and were punished. We had a mountain to climb, climbed it and were controlling the game, but then gave it away.”

David Beckham followed the example of his manager by refusing to call time on a rather more distinguished international career that has yielded 99 appearances, insisting that his dream of a century of caps will not end one short. The former captain also gave his team-mates an indication of the ridicule they can expect from fans around the country in the coming weeks, which he experienced for himself after being sent off against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup.

“I’m not stepping down,” Beckham said. “I can still play at this level and want to play for my country. My position is still the same. There can be no excuses. If you lose you don’t deserve any excuses. We realise that if we don’t perform we don’t deserve to go through. We know what we’re going to get now. It won’t be for a week or two, it will be longer.”