Terry ignites England to start McClaren era with a bang

England 4 - 0 Greece
Terry 14, Lampard 30, Crouch 35, 42

Kevin McCarra at Old Trafford
Thursday August 17, 2006
The Guardian


Were Steve McClaren not so ambitious, he might wish that his career as
England manager could end on the night it began. There cannot be too
many smoother evenings than this in his life. A 4-0 win, with all the
goals struck before the interval, was the best result recorded by
anyone in his first outing in the post since Walter Winterbottom's men
crushed Northern Ireland 7-2 at Windsor Park 60 years ago.


As a deflating World Cup showed, England suffer terribly from
premature euphoria but only a curmudgeon would refuse to be gladdened
by this performance. It is wise to beware Greeks bearing gifts, as
Otto Rehhagel's accident-prone side did, since future opponents will
be tougher, but England did all they had to do. Someone like Stewart
Downing, supplying assists for three of the goals in his first start
for England, must be strengthened by the result.
The hard-hearted will retort that it is merely England's biggest
victory since beating Jamaica 6-0 at this same stadium in June. That
would be unjust, since these were adversaries of far higher standing,
even if their reputation has been sliding downwards.

The decisions taken by McClaren were justified and that should aid him
towards acquiring the status he seeks. Steven Gerrard, for instance,
may not have given his very greatest performance but he appeared happy
enough to inherit David Beckham's position on the right and use it,
intermittently, to tear into the middle.

Elsewhere in the centre of the field, Owen Hargreaves was outstanding.
Fans who had scorned him made amends by voting him England's player of
the World Cup and will now be racking their brains for further
compliments. His energy drove the side and, at the ground where he
would like to conduct his club career, the single regret for
Manchester United must be that he will have raised further the fee
that Bayern Munich will set if they can be talked into selling him at
all.

For McClaren this reassuring win was simply priceless. He did not have
to wait all that long for a suitably symbolic opening to his tenure. A
manager who is bound to promise a new era could hope for no more than
a goal from the man he has chosen to captain England for the first
time. McClaren might have felt that his luck was in for Greece did not
become European champions with defending as woolly as this.

A Frank Lampard free-kick in the 14th minute was met by the brow of
Peter Crouch and the goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis reacted with an
unsatisfactory punch. Downing nodded the ball back into the middle and
John Terry headed home. Such a breakthrough was precious in a fixture
that had not beguiled the public in advance.

When an England side with a shrunken post-World Cup reputation
encountered a venue that has just been expanded to a 76,000 capacity
the consequences were inevitable. There was no need to open the upper
tier of the Stretford End at all but the 45,864 attendance would still
have been envied by nearly any other nation. Those who had turned up
were rewarded handsomely for that loyalty.

England players had reported that training sessions were more
demanding than they had been under Sven-Goran Eriksson and that may
have contributed to the purposefulness here. The domination was
emphatic yet also measured as the team controlled the action. No one,
even so, had anticipated a rapidly established lead against opponents
whose uncanny resilience was the key to triumph at Euro 2004.

Jermain Defoe, with much to prove after being omitted from the World
Cup party this summer, split the Greece back four with a beautiful
pass through the inside-left channel after 30 minutes and Lampard, in
recovery from his World Cup sorrows, surged through to finish with the
substantial help of a deflection off Paraskevas Antzas.

The visitors' centre-half had already been traumatised, with even
Crouch, alert to his slowness, threatening to sprint beyond him. The
Liverpool forward contributed in more familiar fashion in the 35th
minute. Downing's cross was deflected to Lampard and, once Nikopolidis
had parried a Lampard effort, Crouch pounced to net from close range.

Three minutes from the end of the halfthe scorer appeared to pull out
of connecting with a Gary Neville delivery, even if it may simply have
been out of reach, but play was turned back to Downing by Gerrard and
Crouch headed in from his service. With that, the attacker had racked
up eight goals from his eight England appearances in 2006. Even so,
McClaren's jubilation will have been greater still.

The display naturally tapered off, with players' minds drifting to
Premiership responsibilities at the weekend, but Greece were still
denied any hope of making the scoreline respectable. Ashley Cole was
in place to clear from the goalline twice within the space of a few
seconds

A sense of gratitude radiated widely. Chris Kirkland, the Liverpool
goalkeeper who is now on loan at Wigan, was brought on for Paul
Robinson. In consequence his father Eddie and a few friends can
collect the £10,000 they are due after a bet made when he was a boy
that Kirkland would represent England.

The dividend for McClaren in this victory, hard as it is to quantify,
must be more substantial.

England (4-4-2) Robinson (Kirkland, h-t); G Neville (Carragher, 78),
Ferdinand, Terry, A Cole (Bridge, 80); Gerrard (Bent, 78), Hargreaves,
Lampard, Downing (Lennon, 69); Defoe (Richardson, 69), Crouch.

Subs not used Young, P Neville, Brown, Dawson, Jenas, Wright-Phillips,
Foster. Referee W Stark (Ger)

Greece (4-3-3) Nikopolidis; Vyntra, Dellas (Anatolakis, 64), Antzas
(Kyrgiakos, h-t), Fyssas (Lagos, 29); Zagorakis (Basinas, h-t),
Karagounis, Katsouranis; Charisteas, Samaras (Amanatidis, h-t),
Giannakopoulos (Salpigidis, h-t).

Subs not used

Chalkias, Kafes, Gekas, Papadopoulos, Georgeas.


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Independent:


England 4 Greece 0: Terry leads rout as McClaren opener offers glimmer of hope
By Sam Wallace at Old Trafford
Published: 17 August 2006

Steve McClaren cannot yet claim to be the saviour of the England
football team but last night he ensured that the little optimism that
clings to his new regime will at least last longer than a Mancunian
summer. There were familiar grey clouds over Old Trafford but on the
pitch a little light to assuage the dire memories of the World Cup
finals that are burnt on the psyche of every English football fan.

The England team that scored four goals in 42 minutes, led by their
captain John Terry who headed the first, were only three men different
to the team that staggered out the World Cup quarter-finals to
Portugal 46 days earlier. At times in that first half, however, it was
possible to believe in a fundamental transformation. There were two
goals from Peter Crouch and partial redemption for Frank Lampard, who
scored the second.

It was the first small step on a journey that has, history tells us,
so often ended with England's thwarted dreams, but for a manager whose
appointment has been accompanied by so little optimism it at least
bought McClaren time. Not since Walter Winterbottom's regime began
with a 7-2 defeat of Northern Ireland in 1946 has there been a better
start for an England manager and this time it came against a team
which only two years ago achieved an unlikely victory at Euro 2004.

An England that passes the ball and converts its chances is a rare,
precious thing and McClaren will know that sustaining this momentum
over the course of the next two years will be no simple task. on 11
October in Zagreb his team face Croatia, a nation who travelled to
Italy last night and beat the world champions 2-0. On the evidence of
England's performance the support might even dare to dream, if recent
experience did not counsel so strongly against it.

At the heart of all that was good was a familiar face in the No 7
shirt, Owen Hargreaves assuming the symbolic shirt of the departed
David Beckham and the stewardship of the midfield. "The standard for
the other two" was how McClaren described the Bayern Munich man and
with that he suggested that Hargreaves is, at the very least, on an
equal footing with Lampard and Steven Gerrard in his brave new world.

There was another tale to be told in Gerrard's performance, because he
of the knitted brow and worried outlook appeared changed by his
relocation to the right wing. Those dashing forward runs no longer
carried with them grave risk. Gerrard was liberated.

Just 45,864 were in the 76,000-capacity Old Trafford, although in the
Football Association's defence that was England's best ever August
friendly attendance. As the famously incontinent Manchester skies
opened up before kick-off, it felt very far from a new dawn.

At times like these a manager hopes for some kind of deliverance and
for McClaren it came from his captain. On 15 minutes, Terry headed in
the first goal of the McClaren regime and it seemed to free England to
play in a way they had scarcely approached in Germany, which put them
four goals ahead by half-time.

Crouch had already raised the mood in Old Trafford when, in his
tireless work for possession, he executed two stepovers and won a
throw-in. His header from a free-kick was punched out as far as
Downing, who nodded the ball firmly back into the area and Terry
applied enough contact to direct it past Antonios Nikopolidis. It was
a precious moment for the new captain, who planted a kiss on his
armband in celebration.

Alongside Crouch, it was Jermain Defoe who impressed, a striker with
the directness to keep England's breaks moving forward at pace. On 29
minutes, he played in Lampard and as the Chelsea man closed in on goal
his deflected shot looped over Nikopolidis.

In the space of seven minutes Crouch added two more. First when Defoe
had drilled a low ball in the left Crouch slipped the loose ball into
the net, then, three minutes before half-time, he made the bizarre
choice, with the goal at his mercy, to duck under a Gary Neville cross
from the right after Gerrard and then Defoe had worked the ball out to
the wing. Possession was recycled on the left and Crouch planted his
header low past a stranded Nikolopidis.

For a team that had managed only six goals in the entire World Cup
finals this was proving a rare display. Before Crouch scored his
second, he was inches from a low ball from the right flank from
Gerrard.

There were no more goals, although Aaron Lennon, Darren Bent and
Kieran Richardson all came on. For the time being, however, it will
have been the reassertion of their powers by England's so-called
golden generation that will have lifted McClaren.

England (4-4-2): Robinson (Tottenham); G Neville (Manchester United),
Terry (Chelsea), Ferdinand (Manchester United), A Cole (Arsenal);
Gerrard (Liverpool), Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Lampard (Chelsea),
Downing (Middlesbrough); Defoe (Tottenham), Crouch (Liverpool).
Substitutes not used: Kirkland (gk, Wigan) for Robinson, h-t;
Richardson (Manchester United) for Defoe, 69; Lennon (Tottenham) for
Downing, 69; Carragher (Liverpool) for Neville, 79; Bent (Charlton)
for Gerrard, 79; Bridge (Chelsea) for A Cole, 81.

Greece (4-4-2): Nikopolidis (Olympiakos); Antzas (Xanthi), Dellas (AEK
Athens), Katsouranis (Benfica), Fyssas (Hearts),; Vyntra
(Panathinaikos), Zagorakis (PAOK), Karagounis (Benfica),
Giannakopoulos (Bolton); Samaras (Manchester City), Charisteas (Ajax).
Substitutes used: Lagos (AEK) for Fyssas, 29; Kyrgiakos (Eintracht
Frankfurt) for Ansaas, h-t; Basinas (Real Mallorca) for Zagorakis,
h-t; Amanatidis (Eintracht Frankfurt) for Samaras, h-t; Salpigidis
(PAOK) for Giannakopoulos, h-t; Anatolakis (Olympiakos) for Dellas,
65.

Referee: W Stark (Germany).

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Telegraph:


Terry leads way for rejuvenated England
By Henry Winter at Old Trafford


England (4) 4 Greece (0) 0

Steve McClaren had England supporters singing in the rain at Old
Trafford last night, giving them belief in the future after the damp
squib of the World Cup campaign. Owen Hargreaves was voted man of the
match, but this was all about the manager of the match and McClaren
left to a standing ovation.


Roaring success: John Terry and Steve McClaren enjoyed their roles
More substantial tests lie in wait, and the Greek defence certainly
came bearing gifts, but at least McClaren's England have raced out of
the blocks with speed and style, particularly the midfielders who
seemed liberated by the new regime. McClaren's desire for the team to
raise their tempo was wonderfully in evidence, with a hunger and pace
rarely witnessed in England friendlies in recent years.

How Old Trafford loved it. How those thousands of England fans who
stayed at home must have regretted not seeing at first hand how
England treated possession so well. The European champions were put to
the sword in the first half, with McClaren's England wielding both the
rapier of Stewart Downing's deft running and the broadsword of Steven
Gerrard's all-action, all-adrenalin surges.

Both were outstanding, as were Hargreaves, Rio Ferdinand and the
captain, John Terry, who began the scoring spree. Frank Lampard scored
the second, so ending any doubts about his importance to the cause of
St George, before Peter Crouch added two.

Four goals to the good by the break, England could easily have been
refuelling at half-time with 7-Up. Here were England playing with
speed of mind and body, moving the ball quickly between receptive
feet. Hargreaves was terrific, anchoring with energy and a wonderful
relish for the well-timed tackle, so granting the Manchester United
supporters present a glimpse of what might be if Sir Alex Ferguson can
prise him from Bayern Munich.

With Hargreaves giving England such comprehensive insurance, Gerrard
raided irrepressibly forward. Nominally stationed on the right, the
Liverpool dynamo appeared to have a licence to roam and create havoc,
at one point cropping up to good effect on the left.

That flank was primarily patrolled by the excellent Downing, who
constantly stretched Greece, creating space. Of equal encouragement
for England was the sight of Lampard looking far more like his
confident old self, parading his terrific touch time after time,
releasing colleagues and looking for chances to show the thunder in
his boots.


The belief flowing through English veins was also reflected in
Ferdinand's contribution. A technically adept centre-half was
encouraged to step into midfield; once was interesting, twice was
eyebrow-raising but when Ferdinand joined midfield for the third time,
a new tactical theme was clearly under way.

An encouraging new epoch was certainly waxing. The banner bearing the
plea 'Bring Becks Back' was beginning to hang a little limply, and not
simply because of the downpour. Life without Goldenballs' dead-balls
remains an issue, yet Downing and Lampard lifted in some impressive
corners. Without Beckham, though, England have lost a weapon at
free-kicks.

Yet England seem intent on playing in a higher gear now. The
McClaren-Terry reign certainly got off to the perfect start, England
snatching the lead after 14 minutes through Beckham's successor as
captain. The goal embodied England's up-tempo feel.

When Lampard lifted in a quick free-kick, the towering Crouch headed
back across goal, where Antonios Nikopolidis made a nervy, punched
clearance. Again England were sharpest to the ball, the busy Downing
heading back in. The Greeks were caught out badly, failing to react to
the escalating danger.

One man read the unfolding situation best. As Downing's ball flew back
in, Terry leapt above Angelos Charisteas to head in before being
engulfed by celebrating team-mates. A popular choice as captain, Terry
confirmed his place in the affections of colleagues and supporters
with his second international goal.

England were in the mood, Crouch almost triggering a Mexican wave with
a couple of step-overs. Lampard was thoroughly enjoying himself,
erasing the memory of a profligate World Cup on the half-hour.
Brilliantly anticipating a pass from Charisteas, he traded passes with
Jermain Defoe and raced into the box. Meeting the ball with his left
foot, Lampard sent in a shot that caught Papaskevas Antzas and
ballooned over Nikopolidis.

England were now in overdrive, moving forward with the swagger of a
boxer who knows his opponent is on the ropes, putting together
combinations that had Greece reeling. Gerrard crossed from the right,
seemingly over-hit until Loukas Vyntra gifted the ball to Defoe. The
ball was immediately transferred to Downing, whose cross was met first
time by Lampard. Although Nikopolidis saved, Crouch tapped England
further ahead.

advertisementThe game was won, but the scoring continued, Crouch
netting a second just before the break. Again Gerrard was involved,
breaking down the left before sweeping the ball across, via Defoe, to
Gary Neville. The full-back clipped in a wonderful cross that Crouch,
bizarrely, stooped underneath, although it was the weather for ducks.
No matter. Downing simply crossed back in for Crouch to head his
eighth goal in 12 internationals.

England were never going to be able to maintain that sort of electric
momentum after the break, although the sight of Chris Kirkland making
his debut certainly had his watching father, Eddie, smiling. Kirkland
senior, and some friends, had placed a £100 bet on Chris when he was
12 to represent England, and so scooped £10,000 last night. For
McClaren, victory, and the performance, were priceless.

Match details

England (4-1-3-2): Robinson (Tottenham); Neville (Man Utd), Ferdinand
(Man Utd), Terry (Chelsea), Cole (Arsenal); Hargreaves (Bayern
Munich); Gerrard (Liverpool), Lampard (Chelsea), Downing
(Middlesbrough); Defoe (Tottenham) , Crouch (Liverpool).
Subs: Kirkland (Liverpool g) for Robinson, h-t; Richardson (Man Utd)
for Downing, 68; Lennon (Tottenham) for Defoe, 68; Bent (Charlton) for
Gerrard, 77; Carragher (Liverpool) for Neville, 77; Bridge (Chelsea)
for Cole, 80.
Greece (5-4-1): Nikopolidis (Olympiakos); Vyntra (Panathinaikos),
Antzas (Skoda Xanthi), Dellas (Olympiakos), Katsouranis (Benfica),
Fyssas (Bolton); Charisteas (Ajax), Zagorakis (PAOK Salonika),
Karagounis (Benfica), Giannakopoulos (Bolton); Samaras (Man City).
Subs: Lagos (AEK Athens) for Fyssas, 28; Basinas (Real Mallorca) for
Zagorakis, h-t; Salpigidis (PAOK) for Giannakopolous, h-t; Kyrgiakos
(Eintracht Frankfurt) for Antzas, h-t; Amanatidis (Eintracht
Frankfurt) for Samaras, h-t; Anatolakis (Olympiakos) for Dellas, 63.
Referee: W Stark (Germany).

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The Times August 17, 2006


Terry's men slip into top gear as Greece are put to sword
By Matt Dickinson, Chief Football Correspondent

England 4 Greece 0


HOPE springs eternal when it comes to the England team and so, barely
six weeks after the so-called golden generation appeared to have
turned to tin, the nation's supporters were back cheering those very
same players to the rafters.


It was not so long ago, too, that Steve McClaren was finishing bottom
of fan polls during the FA's cack-handed search for Sven-Göran
Eriksson's successor as head coach, but each of his journeys along the
touchline at a buoyant Old Trafford last night brought only applause
and high-fives.

No wonder. As first impressions go, the Yorkshireman could not have
enjoyed a better start to his England reign. His bold culling of David
Beckham brought barely a word of dissent last night — there was one
banner urging him to "Bring back Becks" but not a chant for the exiled
captain — and his team followed it up with a comprehensive victory
against a team who can still claim to be European champions.

It should be pointed out that Greece played as if they had been asked
to produce the likely threat from Andorra in England's opening
European Championship qualifier on September 2, but, even against
ramshackle opposition, this was exactly the sort of energetic,
committed performance that McClaren had both promised and demanded.

Owen Hargreaves was voted man of the match for his tireless work in
midfield — Manchester United supporters purred expectantly — and there
were also authoritative performances from Steven Gerrard and both
centre backs, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand. It has been a long time
since Ferdinand carried the ball out of defence so frequently, or to
such good effect, and it also felt like many months since Frank
Lampard last smiled.

After racing into a 4-0 lead, McClaren's men inevitably slowed down
and quibbles would include a brief, unsuccessful dabble with 4-5-1 in
the second half. While Stewart Downing brought balance on the left
wing and two assists, legitimate questions can be asked of his pace
and guile when England face top-class opposition.

With Wayne Rooney to return, however, McClaren can only have taken
encouragement. He had spent the two days of build-up preaching the
team ethic after the collapse of collective belief in Germany, and his
players responded with an urgent and intelligent performance.

The new regime could hardly have got off to a better start for manager
or captain, Terry putting England ahead on the night when he proudly
led out his country for the first time.

Lampard had taken over free kick duties from you-know-who and, in the
fourteenth minute, he chipped the ball up to Peter Crouch to head
across the penalty area. A weak punch from Antonios Nikopolidis, the
goalkeeper, was the first of many mistakes. Terry was delighted to
take advantage.

Rampaging everywhere on the pitch, even the left wing at times,
Gerrard was proving England's most eye-catching, dynamic force. But
Lampard was also enjoying the freedom granted by Hargreaves's tenacity
and it was the Chelsea man who added the second in the 30th minute.
Given his travails in Germany, it was perhaps the most pleasing goal
of the night.

Troubled in June when he finished a poor tournament by bolshily
demanding more respect from his critics, Lampard wheeled away in
delight after his shot looped off Papaskevas Antzas. Jermain Defoe had
picked out the midfield player with a fine through-ball.

England did not have to wait long for their third, Crouch pinching the
ball off Lampard's toes after yet another defensive cock-up in the
visiting team's area. Seven of the Greece team had started against
Portugal in the final of Euro 2004 but, more relevantly, all had been
involved in the failure to qualify for the World Cup finals. With
defending such as this, it was not hard to see why.

It was 4-0 by half-time, Crouch adding his second three minutes before
the interval but walking straight into a telling-off from Gary
Neville. The full back was still seething that Crouch had failed to
attack his cross when the forward struck at the second attempt,
nodding home the pass from Downing for his eighth goal in 12
internationals.

It is the sort of strike-rate that Thierry Henry would delight in,
although McClaren may have been just as pleased at Neville's attitude
in pointing out the squandered chance.


McClaren had promised that his team would take friendlies seriously.
He made only one change to his team during the interval, and that was
between the posts. Only terrible luck with injuries had forced Chris
Kirkland to wait so long for his international debut. He has the
ability to challenge Paul Robinson, proving as much with one smart
save, although he had to rely on Ashley Cole to clear off the line
twice.
McClaren was eventually forced to start making more substitutions,
using up his full quota of six, and England temporarily lost their
shape during a brief experiment with a five-man midfield. On came
Darren Bent to restore the familiar 4-4-2. Not everything changes
post-Eriksson, but this was a more than satisfactory start.



THE JOY OF TEXT

BRUISED as he might be after his rejection by Steve McClaren, David
Beckham sent a good-luck message to John Terry before last night's
game, an evening that the Chelsea defender described as a "dream come
true".

"I had a lot of text messages before the game from people at Chelsea
and I had one from Becks wishing me good luck in my first game as
captain," Terry said. "It has been a dream come true for me,
especially scoring the goal. I felt so proud leading the team out and
then singing the national anthem as captain."

However, with two European Championship qualifying ties to come, Terry
cautioned against reading too much into the result. "It was a great
result and a great performance," said Terry. "But we have to make sure
we carry it on in the same vein."

While Terry was leading out his team-mates at Old Trafford, Beckham
returned to Real Madrid. Having stood down after the World Cup finals,
he was already preparing to pass the armband on to a team-mate,
several of whom have privately expressed the view that he should have
been retained as part of the squad. Last night's victory, however, may
have persuaded the doubters otherwise.


OLIVER KAY



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Sun:

England 4 Greece 0

ENGLAND v GREECE


By SHAUN CUSTIS

GREAT stuff. Now why couldn't we do that at the World Cup?

This was a magnificent start for England's new manager Steve McClaren
and his chosen skipper John Terry — who was ecstatic when he headed
the opener.

But we have learned, even as recently as June, not to get carried away
by scorelines like this in friendlies.

England beat Jamaica 6-0, also at Old Trafford, in the final warm-up
before the World Cup in Germany — and look where that got us.

And do not forget, old boss Sven Goran Eriksson won his first match,
against Spain, 3-0. Appearances can be deceiving.

That said, you could not knock it. This is what England fans want —
and more of it please.

And it was not just the scoreline. The team played with a pace and
intensity for the first hour which was so often lacking under Swede
Eriksson.

The feelgood factor is back. But let's not have any of that 'we can
win Euro 2008' stuff off the back of one game.

It will take a few more performances like this before we even think
about starting all that ballyhoo again.

This should have been a stern test for England, given that Greece are
the European champions.


They began with seven of the side which bored us all to death winning
Euro 2004 but the defensive fortitude they displayed in Portugal was
seriously lacking.

With David Beckham having been axed, probably for good, this was a
chance to see if Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard could work together
without the former captain getting in the way.

The anchor role played by Owen Hargreaves, given Beckham's No 7 shirt,
will be important to that and the signs here were encouraging.

Hargreaves was excellent on a pitch which, if he has his way, could
soon become his permanent home as Manchester United try to prise him
away from Bayern Munich.

He gave under-pressure Lampard the security to get forward and score
one and get involved in a couple more, while Gerrard played with a
freedom on the right-hand side.


Everyone played their part for England, with Terry leading by example
with his goal on 14 minutes.

Terry could not have dreamed he would mark his debut as skipper in the
manner he did. It started when Chelsea team-mate Lampard floated a
free-kick out to the right where Peter Crouch challenged.

The ball was weakly punched clear by Greek keeper Antonios Nikopolidis
and, when Stewart Downing headed it back in, Terry pounced to glance
it home.

Old Trafford must be his lucky ground. That was the venue where he
scored his first England goal, in the friendly against Hungary, back
in May.

Lampard went some way to proving a point to his growing army of
critics when he bundled in the second on 30 minutes — but there was so
much more to the goal than the ugly finish.

Lamps intercepted deep in his own half, ran forward and fed Jermain
Defoe. The Spurs striker kept the tempo going by nipping neatly inside
before releasing Lampard — who had not broken stride.

The midfielder's shot deflected off covering defender Papaskevas
Antzas, sent the keeper the wrong way and nestled in the back of the
net.

McClaren must have been the most contented man in the stadium when
England bagged a third with the game only 35 minutes old.

Yet the Greeks made a significant contribution to their own demise.
First, they failed to clear Gerrard's hopeful ball. Then, when Downing
crossed low, the ball sneaked through a defender's legs to Lampard.

His shot was saved by Nikopolidis but, with England players queueing
up to finish, Crouch got there ahead of Lamps to slot home.

As a statement of intent for the future you could not argue.

It just made you even more annoyed about the World Cup disaster.

Incredibly, it was four on 42 minutes — although the move had its
comic moments before the ball finally went in. Crouch actually went to
handle Gary Neville's cross and then ducked out of the way.

The ball was collected by Gerrard on the far side and he laid it back
for Downing. When it came back again it was at a more preferable
height for Crouch, who stooped to head home. That made it eight goals
in 12 internationals for Crouch, an impressive tally in any striker's
language.

Wonder what Sven made of a half-time score like that? Or Becks, for that matter.

Chris Kirkland started the second half in goal in place of Paul Robinson.

But Wigan's on-loan keeper from Liverpool needed his defenders to be
on their toes as Greece finally did some attacking.

Sub Ioannis Amanatidis had a shot deflected over by Terry's shoulder
then, from the corner, a drive by Traianos Dellas was cleared off the
line by Ashley Cole.

Amazingly, the left-back also blocked the follow-up from Amanatidis.
No wonder Chelsea want to buy him.

Kirkland made a fine save late on to deny Georgios Karagounis and give
us a glimpse of what he has to offer now he has got over the fitness
problems which have denied him so many England caps in the past.

The second half could never hope to match the first but the job had
already been well done by then.

Next up it is Andorra, in just over a fortnight. Looks like their
keeper is going to be busy.

See, there we go — getting carried away already!

s.custis@...

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Mirror :

MAC WHERE WE BELONG

THE McCLAREN REVOLUTION: ENGLAND 4 GREECE 0 FROM OLD TRAFFORD New
England hint at bright future as Terry leads romp against Euro
champions
Martin Lipton Chief Football Writer

TWO MONTHS too late but at least Steve McClaren had an excuse to flash
that designer smile as the new era began in a manner he could only
have dreamed about.

Nothing that England did at Old Trafford last night could ever wipe
away the frustrations of the World Cup debacle or take away McClaren's
share of Sven Goran Eriksson's guilt.

But led from the back by John Terry, from the middle by Steven Gerrard
and Frank Lampard and from the front by Peter Crouch, Mac's men proved
that England do know how to pass the ball, play at pace and put awful
opponents to the sword.


New skipper Terry's opener put England on the way to the best
first-game win by a new manager in 60 years, with Lampard putting his
World Cup despair behind him before Crouch took advantage of the
weakest back-line he will come up against all season to plunder two
before the break.


McClaren had promised "it's going to be totally different" in the
match programme, despite starting with eight of the team that began
against Portugal less than seven weeks ago.


David Beckham, of course, was missing, with Jermain Defoe partnering
Crouch up front and Stuart Downing making his full debut on the left
of a midfield balanced by Gerrard on the right flank, although Owen
Hargreaves took the former skipper's No.7 shirt.


A half-full Old Trafford needed to see ambition and enterprise against
Greece, and for once they were not disappointed.


Playing the ball to feet from the outset was a positive sign, with
Gerrard and Gary Neville immediately on the same wavelength, although
Downing needed to show that he had the pace to get past his marker.


There was a vigour about England that was too much for a woeful Greece
side, who were soon chasing shadows as England's one-touch passing
caused chaos in Otto Rehhagel's defence.


It was a pleasure to witness, with Rio Ferdinand having clearly been
encouraged to carry the ball forward, rather than hit diagonals in the
vague direction of Crouch, and on 14 minutes the new skipper began the
new era in style.


Lampard's free-kick saw Crouch nodding goalwards and Greek keeper
Antonios Nikopolidis could only fist the ball as far as Downing, who
returned with interest for Terry, six yards out, to get the touch
ahead of Paraskeva Antzas and turn home only his second England goal.


The perfect start for Terry's England and it should have been two
instantly, as Gerrard turned on the edge of the box to deliver a
pin-point cross which the unmarked Crouch directed wide.


Downing's delivery was improving and England looked confident as they
hunted the ball, with Gerrard playing like his Liverpool incarnation,
driving in from the right. It was not always slick and incisive, but
the signs of a more progressive approach were there and the second
goal, on the half hour, emphasised that.


Defoe dropped into space and then slipped through the inside left
channel and Lampard held off the attentions of Antzas before his
left-footer deflected off the defender to loop into the net.


If only Lampard had enjoyed that fortune in Germany, the story might
have been very different, but his 12th England goal put a smile back
on the Chelsea midfielder's face after his summer of misery.


Now England could relax. Hargreaves was adding to his Manchester
United price-tag, Defoe was foraging with menace, Lampard seemed
liberated and Downing was showing authority with that left foot.


The third came soon enough. Defoe cut out Loukas Vyntra's clearance to
find Downing, the cross found its way to Lampard six yards out and
while the Chelsea man missed his sitter, Crouch nudged the loose ball
over the line.


Greece were now desperate for half time, Gerrard's vision deserving
more as Crouch failed to make contact with a peach of a pass in front
of the gaping goal, before doing the same from a Neville centre.


Yet with Greece all over the place Crouch had five seconds to wait,
with Downing crossing and the big man having the freedom of the box to
claim his eighth in as many games.


Chris Kirkland came on for Paul Robinson at the break - earning his
dad a £10,000 pay-day from the bookies - and while Greece made a raft
of changes, the only question seemed how many more England would get.


Instead, with minds seemingly turning back towards looming club
duties, they lost their way.


Kirkland tipped a drive from sub Ioannis Amanatidis over the top, with
Ashley Cole making successive goal-line clearances to deny Angelis
Basinas and Amanatidis.


Greece were much busier, with England off the boil, although Gerrard
and Lampard attempted to get them going again, and Defoe remained
lively and alert.


Aaron Lennon and Kieran Richardson were given their chances in place
of Downing and Defoe as England tried a new shape. Things had tapered
off. But there were reasons, at last, to be more cheerful. Now let's
see how the real stuff works out.



ATTENDANCE: 45,864


MAN OF THE MATCH: Terry

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