McClaren staying put, warns Gibson

When Sir Bobby Robson succeeded Ron Greenwood in 1982, he had just guided Ipswich Town to second place in the Championship.

It was the same with Graham Taylor, whose Aston Villa side finished runnersup to Liverpool in his final season at Villa Park. Not a brilliant example, granted, but the FA were not to know how miserably England would perform after he took over from Robson in 1990.

Eriksson also timed his run to perfection, guiding Lazio to the Italian title a few months before the FA came calling.

McClaren has spent around £40million during his two- and- a- half years at Middlesbrough and not yet finished in the top half of the Premiership table. At this moment they appear to be treading water in 13th.

Five Englishmen sit above Mc Claren, with Sam Allardyce, the Bolton manager he defeated at the Millennium Stadium on Sunday, among them. In Alan Curbishley, whose Charlton side are fifth - just behind Robson's Newcastle - the directors at The Valley have a great deal to be proud of.

McClaren is an excellent coach. He proved as much at Derby and then at United, where he assisted Sir Alex Ferguson in securing that extraordinary European and domestic Treble in 1999 before two more championships in successive seasons.

He also impressed during his time with Eriksson, who expressed some regret when problems at The Riverside forced McClaren to concentrate all his efforts on the club that pay him in the region of £1.5million a year. Just how good a manager he is, though, is the question that remains unanswered.

Boro's first venture into Europe will present McClaren with an interesting challenge next season, while a strong finish this season and greater consistency in the Premiership need to follow Sunday's triumph.

McClaren has spent money at Boro but not always terribly well, with Michael Ricketts, Jonathan Greening and Mark Wilson among the more disappointing recruits.

Against that, Gareth Southgate and Ugo Ehiogu have been outstanding, while Gaizka Mendieta was the best player on the pitch in Cardiff.

McClaren certainly aspires to become England coach. Even when he was Ferguson's assistant at United, he was not afraid to express such ambition.

But only when he can finish ahead of his English contemporaries will he be thought of as the obvious English candidate.