Carney: McClaren making the grade in Holland

November 29, 2009

(ESPN) - Steve McClaren jetted off to the Netherlands with his tail between his legs after England's disastrous Euro 2008 qualification failure. And if his umbrella incident wasn't embarrassing enough, an interview in a dodgy Dutch accent soon after his arrival in Enschede gave the tabloids some more fodder.

Since then, he has laid low and hardly put a foot wrong, with Twente finishing second last season and leading this season's Eredivisie, where they remain undefeated. David Carney has described the impact made by the man previously lambasted as the 'wally with a brolly'.

"I can't speak highly enough of him and what he's done for FC Twente,'' Carney told ESPN Soccernet. "He's helped put the club on the map and turned us into a consistent side who not only qualifies for Europe but is now contending for the title."

Carney broke into the Sheffield United side just as McClaren's England tenure was finishing, but a promising start under Bryan Robson turned pear-shaped when Kevin Blackwell was appointed.

Having signed for Twente last August, Carney admits that McClaren has has made a bigger impact on him than any manager, albeit in a short space of time.

"He's had the England job and to work under someone like him has been fantastic. I've learnt so much already and I've only been here a few months,'' Carney said. "He's the best manager I've played under by far, he knows the game inside out and tactically he's very clever.

"I played under a lot of English coaches and I've also had some Dutch ones, and I definitely think he's more Dutch than English. With McClaren, there is a big emphasis on the technical side of things - about playing out from the back and keeping the ball - and you've really got to be switched on or else you get caught out. England is more about running and tackling and it's up to individual brilliance to win games.''

One of the many criticisms of McClaren was that he was too 'chummy' with his England stars, often publicly referring to them as 'Stevie G', 'JT' and 'Becks'.

His reputation in the Netherlands is such that they are quite shocked at the level of scorn that remains in his native country. On top of his impressive results, he has turned heads in the media - it is said that he delivers and presents with aplomb.

Carney said McClaren, who communicates with FC Twente players and does media interviews in English, means business when it comes to football.

"He's a character. He likes a laugh and a joke off the pitch and he's pretty down to earth, but when we get into training it's a different story,'' Carney said. "He's very focused and we players make sure we work hard, but he's also very approachable.''

For Carney, the move to FC Twente has been priceless as the World Cup approaches. After being frozen out by Blackwell, he has featured regularly on Twente's teamsheet since signing.

With Australia being coached by Dutchman Pim Verbeek, Carney says the styles of football at club and country level are almost identical.

"I'm enjoying it. It's certainly a different game to that in England, but I'm improving so everything's good,'' said Carney, who signed just weeks after scoring a 30-yard rocket in Australia's 3-0 friendly win against Ireland in August. "I think it was the right move and we play a style very similar to the Socceroos, so when I switch there is not much of a transition.

"But I still feel I can do so much more, so hopefully I can get a good run of games before South Africa then have a good World Cup and we'll see what happens from there.''

Carney made his Socceroos debut while he was a Sydney FC player - in February 2006 as a second-half substitute in the Asian Cup qualifier away to Bahrain. Having been born and bred in Sydney, he pursued his European dream. It led him to Everton, where he played youth football alongside Wayne Rooney.

The highlight was reaching the 2002 FA Youth Cup final, which they lost 4-2 on aggregate to Aston Villa. Rooney, who was the star of England's Under-17 side at that stage, was voted Man of the Match in the second leg.

"I played with Rooney for around two years. It was clear that he was going to be a star - he was a freak at that age,'' Carney said. "He was a year-and-a-half or two years younger than most of us but played in our youth side that reached the final. He scored around six goals for us in the campaign, so he was good. He was a freak.''

While it wasn't long until Rooney broke into David Moyes' side, the manager decided to release Carney. After brief spells at Oldham Athletic, Halifax Town and Hamilton Academical, he returned home, and it is a decision that changed his career.

Sydney FC coach Pierre Littbarski liked what he saw during Carney's trial and snapped him up immediately. Within months he was playing in the FIFA Club World Cup and within a year he had claimed the A-League title alongside Dwight Yorke, playing a key role in the process.

The following year he featured in the Asian Champions League and, after making the Socceroos squad for the 2007 Asian Cup, it was off for another crack at Europe.

"Being at Everton was great. I had a good apprenticeship and when I was 18 I played a couple of first team games with Hamilton. Even though I found it hard at the time, in hindsight it helped me,'' he said.

"But the A-League was a good opportunity and a good fit for me and Pierre Littbarski was great. After that, I returned to Europe and it's been a bit of a rollercoaster, but that's what football's about. Long-term, I'll return to Australia. That's my dream but I want to give it a good crack over here first.''

So while Carney has lived the life of a football journeyman, he is still in his mid-20s and has plenty of years ahead of him.