Steve McClaren has told Sky Sports News via the Derby Telegraph that he is still in shock after he was sacked for the second time by Derby County.
McClaren’s first spell at the club was a mixed one as while he was able to get them to the Sky Bet Championship final, his side was labelled as bottlers after many seasons of bad runs of form at the end of the season meaning they missed out on promotion. He returned for his second spell following the controversial sacking of Nigel Pearson and started off well and getting them out of the relegation form, they recently went on a bad run of form which saw them win just once in nine games.
This is what led Derby to sack McClaren for the second time, deciding to replace him with Gary Rowett whose first game was a 2-2 draw with East Midlands rival Nottingham Forest. And for McClaren, it was a huge shock to be sacked just a few months into his reign and is still in a state of disbelief about it.
He said: “I was very disappointed to get the call on the Sunday evening. I was shocked, and still am shocked,”
“The reality really set in on Saturday when I wasn’t taking the team against Notts Forest and I was watching from afar.
“I’m very disappointed, I didn’t see it coming, it was a shock.”
McClaren may be about to get a better job though as he has been linked to the vacant role at Middlesbrough.
