1 month ago
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STEVE McCLAREN may not have cracked a Jamaican accent — but reckons he can take the Reggae Boyz to their first World Cup since 1998.
Clips of the former England boss speaking with a Dutch inflection while manager of Twente in Holland still cause much laughter.
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GettyAnd as the gift that keeps on giving, more hilarious videos have emerged of the Yorkshireman trying to learn Patwa — the Jamaican language — as well as some local expressions.
But when it comes to football, 63-year-old McClaren knows exactly what he is talking about.
The former Newcastle and Middlesbrough chief believes Jamaica’s best chance of reaching the 2026 World Cup lies here in ENGLAND.
McClaren — branded the “Wally with the Brolly” while Three Lions boss — said: “I don’t want to reveal names but I’ve got a list at home of around 60 players aged 17 upwards who can represent Jamaica.
“They’re either playing top level in English academies or in the Premier League, Championship, League One and League Two.
“The talent is definitely there but instead of going into a sweet shop and saying, ‘We want this and this’, we must be patient and, for now, try to utilise that and win games.
“We then must highlight what specialists we need in certain positions and identify who we can recruit.
“We’re looking to bring in those extra talents, warriors and leaders to make this squad better.”
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McClaren leads the Reggae Boyz in the early hours of Friday morning in the first leg of a Concacaf Nations League quarter-final against Mauricio Pochettino’s USA.
The former Manchester United No 2 has brought in forgotten Newcastle midfielder Isaac Hayden, 29.
He has not played a competitive game since May during his loan spell at QPR and is currently training with the Geordies’ Under-23s.
And McClaren is also eyeing up former Old Trafford striker Mason Greenwood, 23, who is rebuilding his career at Marseille.
His current squad consists of THIRTEEN players who ply their trade over here.
The Prem big-hitters are West Ham’s Michail Antonio, 34, and Aston Villa’s Leon Bailey, 27.
Wolves’ 21-year-old rookie Dexter Lembikisa, who is on loan at Swiss side Yverdon Sport, is also in there.
Championship stars Amari’i Bell (Luton), Di’shon Bernard (Sheffield Wednesday), Mason Holgate (West Brom), Greg Leigh (Oxford), Ethan Pinnock (Luton), Joel Latibeaudiere (Coventry) and Kasey Palmer (Hull) swell the numbers.
Charlton duo Karoy Anderson and Kaheim Dixon, along with ex-Birmingham star Demarai Gray, make up the contingent.
Jamaica are second in their World Cup qualifying group with two wins and the next phase of matches is due to start in the summer.
For now he faces ex-Spurs, Chelsea and Southampton boss Poch, who he has only faced once in the dugout — guiding Newcastle to a 2-1 win at White Hart Lane in December 2015.
The Argentine will also be relying on British-based talent with the pressure of managing a USA team that qualifies automatically for the 2026 World Cup as co-hosts with Mexico and Canada.
Fulham left-back Antonee Robinson, 27, who was raised in Liverpool and is a product of Everton’s academy, is expected to be one of the Yanks’ key players.
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