Gerrard handed right-sided role
New England manager Steve McClaren will play Steven Gerrard on the right side of midfield against Greece.
\"I spoke with Stevie and he is delighted with that - he will play anywhere for England,\" said McClaren.
\"It is an evolution. We are looking at one or two different things and the shape of the team is one of them.\"
McClaren will also start with Jermain Defoe, who was left out of England's World Cup squad, and Stewart Downing, who played just 50 minutes in Germany.
With strikers Wayne Rooney rested, because he is suspended for the first two Euro 2008 qualifiers, and Michael Owen injured, McClaren had called up Defoe and West Ham's Dean Ashton.
It had appeared that Ashton would partner Peter Crouch up front, but he has been ruled out after suffering an ankle injury in training.
Gerrard will fill the role that has for so long been held by David Beckham, who was left out of the squad.
The fact the former captain has been replaced by such a senior England figure as Gerrard will further add to the feeling that Beckham's England career is over.
McClaren seemed to hint that Gerrard could make the position his own when he revealed he had spoken to Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez about it.
\"I have decided to have a look at Stevie on the right because he played there for Liverpool for the majority of last season and scored 23 goals.
\"I had a good conversation with Rafa early last week and discussed the situation.\"
Earlier this week, midfielder Owen Hargreaves said he was surprised at McClaren's decision to drop Beckham.
\"I was surprised not to see him included,\" Bayern Munich midfielder Hargreaves told Sir Stanley.
\"But as the manager said it is a new era and a new team and we are looking forward to the future.\"
Hargreaves, 25, was one of the few successes of England's disappointing World Cup campaign in which they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Portugal on penalties.
And he has been rewarded with a starting berth in McClaren's first team selection since he succeeded Sven-Goran Eriksson.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
England team to face Greece: Paul Robinson; Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry (captain), Ashley Cole; Steven Gerrard, Owen Hargreaves, Frank Lampard, Stewart Downing, Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch.
mclaren has shown that he really doesn't know what he is doing.
is he as blind as eriksson or just plane stupid, we all know that gerrard and lampard can't play in the same squad yet he drops the best crosser of the ball and puts gerrard on the right so they can still play together. i thought after beckham was droped lennon was going to be on the right, this now seems that lennon has worked so hard and impressed so many just for the manager to stick with players who can't play together. who is mclaren more scared of jose mourinho or the english fans. i thought we were finaly getting a coach with a set between his legs.
I agree but to be honest Im still smarting from Beckham being left out but I suppose we will see tomrow if his ideas make us look better or just ordinary :?
