KEY POINTS:
Head coach Steve McClaren takes "full responsibility" for England's exit from Euro 2008 yesterday but says he has no intention of resigning from the job he has held for 15 months.
But the English FA announced after the 3-2 defeat to Croatia at Wembley that cost England their place in next year's finals in Austria and Switzerland that a board meeting would be held today.
"I am not going to discuss my future," a shaken-looking McClaren said after the staggering loss.
"I am not going to discuss it so soon after a huge disappointment. I have no intention of offering my resignation."
He accepted that his team made mistakes and were second best on the night. "I am just trying to take in the huge disappointment that we won't be there next summer.
"I take full responsibility. I always said we deserve to be where we finish up in the group - and we didn't deserve to qualify."
Croatia won the group with 29 points. Russia, who beat Andorra 1-0 yesterday, finished second on 24 points and England third on 23.
McClaren took two bold decisions for the match. He left out his usual No 1 goalkeeping choice, Paul Robinson, and drafted in Scott Carson for only his second England cap.
He also left out former skipper David Beckham, but brought Beckham on at halftime, his 99th cap.
"I would make the same decisions again," McClaren said.
"Mistakes at the start cost us, but I thought Carson was ready [to play] and I stick by that decision. He made a fantastic save in the second half.
"There was always going to be mistakes on that [wet and slippery] pitch and we made too many - but Croatia are a good team.
"That's hard to take, to concede three goals at Wembley ... I wouldn't have thought that was possible."
McClaren and his men were booed by most of the 88,000 crowd at the final whistle, but despite that he stays England's coach for now and also said he expected to head for South Africa today as part of the FA delegation for the weekend World Cup qualifying-round draw in Durban.
- REUTERS
