Steve McClaren
A football manager whose career trajectory, from historic English triumph to an infamous umbrella, became a parable of the sport's brutal volatility.
Born 1961 (age 65)·English association football manager and former player·Birthday: May 3·Baby Boomers
Biography
Steve McClaren's story is a footballing rollercoaster of remarkable highs and very public lows. A diligent midfielder whose playing career was modest, he found his calling as a coach, earning respect as an innovative assistant at Derby County and Manchester United. His apex came in 2004 when he guided Middlesbrough to their first major trophy, the League Cup, and an improbable run to the UEFA Cup final. This led to the England manager's job, a tenure defined by failure to qualify for Euro 2008 and immortalized by the tabloid image of him sheltering under an umbrella in the rain—a symbol of perceived weakness. Rather than fade away, McClaren embarked on a nomadic redemption tour, winning the Eredivisie with FC Twente in the Netherlands (becoming the first Englishman to win a top-flight European league in a decade) but also enduring short-lived, difficult spells elsewhere. His career embodies the fragile nature of managerial reputation, where tactical knowledge and past success can be swiftly overshadowed by results and perception, yet his resilience in continuing his craft across continents is undeniable.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Steve was born in 1961, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Steve Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
Steve's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1961Born
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1966Started school
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1974Became a teenager
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Could drive
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1979Could vote
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Turned 21
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1991Turned 30
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 40
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 50
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 60
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 65 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the 2003-04 EFL Cup with Middlesbrough, the club's first-ever major trophy.
- Led Middlesbrough to the 2006 UEFA Cup Final, a historic achievement for the club.
- Won the Eredivisie title with FC Twente in the 2009-10 season, a major Dutch league championship.
- Served as assistant manager to Sir Alex Ferguson during Manchester United's historic 1998-99 treble-winning season.
Did You Know?
He worked as a youth coach in the Netherlands early in his career, learning Dutch fluently.
He provided television analysis for the BBC during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
His son, Josh McClaren, is a professional football player.
“We have to be better in both boxes, that's where games are won and lost.”
