Barwick backs McClaren

Brian Barwick believes Steve McClaren will come through his first season in charge of the England team a stronger manager.

McClaren rounded off a difficult first term with a comfortable 3-0 win over Estonia in a Euro 2008 qualifier on Wednesday, a result which kept his critics at bay after he was jeered heavily during the previous qualifying match against Andorra.

Football Association chief executive Brian Barwick said: "I sense that Steve is stronger for having come through the tests of the past few months."

He added: "Some supporters crossed the line with the vitriolic personal abuse aimed at Steve in Barcelona when we played Andorra at the end of March.

"That Andorra experience was genuinely unpleasant. It came off the back of a performance in Israel that got roundly criticised although before qualifying began, people would have said a draw in Israel was good enough.

"Steve has come through all that and there's a real steel about him. I remain very confident in him. He has taken a big job and he understands the scale of the job now."