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Having gone down clutching an umbrella as the storm engulfed him, Steve McClaren will seek temporary sanctuary on a beach in Barbados, but he is not planning on sheltering under a parasol for long. Only three hours after being dismissed as the England head coach, McClaren was talking enthusiastically about a return to the game, though the level of his re-entry may disappoint him.

When he was appointed amid much controversy 18 months ago, McClaren was seen as preferable to Sam Allardyce, although should the Newcastle United manager’s problems with the players at St James’ Park lead to his dismissal, the former Middlesbrough manager may not even be a candidate for a return to the North East.

Graham Taylor, the previous manager who failed to lead England to a leading championship, was forced to take a job in the second division with Wolverhampton Wanderers four months later and McClaren may also have to drop down.

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The faults that lie deep within the nation's football will not be cured simply by handing Steve McClaren his P45

Martin Samuel

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Although a Barclays Premier League club may offer him a position, McClaren may have to lower his sights with the likes of Bolton Wanderers, Wigan Athletic and Birmingham City his most likely future employers.

“I’ll bounce back,” McClaren said. “I’m not one to lie on a beach. I’m a better manager now than I was and I’ve learnt some lessons.”

McClaren insisted that he did not think he was out of his depth, although he conceded that England did not deserve to qualify for the European Championship finals. “I believed I was up to the job then and I believe it now, but I have to accept the decision,” he said. “You’re judged by results. I said at the beginning, no matter how I portray myself, it’s about results on the field, on qualification.

“We are where we are as a team. You can talk about individuals, but at the present moment where we are is third in the group. You deserve to be where you finish.”

McClaren’s final address summed up his 18-match reign, that of a decent, dignified man promoted beyond his level of competence. In keeping with much of what went before, he also failed to address the big issues that will be crucial to the national team’s future development, such as the foreign dominance of the Premier League, the technical shortcomings of domestic players and their big egos.

“The players will get a lot of criticism, but we’re all in it,” McClaren said. “We’re all responsible. In the long run, ultimately, everybody needs to get behind the players, the team and look at the overall conditions in the game, the conditions we’re working in. Can they be improved to give the England players a better chance? There are lots of issues which, in the future, will come out into the open.

“There’s no one more than those in the FA, the players and the staff who want to improve the situation. Maybe you have to get a fall and a low before you bounce back. Maybe this is an opportunity for that. If Brian [Barwick, the FA chief executive] wants me to be a part of that inquiry, I have no problem with that.”