​Being a fighter is an admirable quality to have, as is a never say die attitude. However, when both of those are combined with a skill level that leaves you painfully out of your depth, then they're not a great combination. Steve McClaren is in possession of both, and his refusal to walk away from a job that is going nowhere can only damage his own reputation and that of the club. He asked to be judged after 10 games, well there are only 10 matches left in the season and he is in charge of a...

I'm a big fan of Steve McClaren. I worked with him over several years during my career and I can say with total confidence that he is an outstanding football talent, as well as being a top guy.

That's why I really hoped he would be a success at Newcastle, the club where I spent four seasons as a player. But the sad truth is he can have no complaints if Newcastle sack him this week. In fact, I'm surprised Mike Ashley hasn't done it already.

I've worked under Steve when he has been a coach and a manager. As a coach he is brilliant - one of the best I've ever encountered - but his career shows that in terms of management there is something missing. Those two jobs may sound similar, but in fact they are very different.

I initially got to know Steve during his time with England. It was always going to be tough for him as England manager because he had previously been the coach while Sven-Goran Eriksson was in charge. As a player, you have a certain relationship with a coach or a number two, and it's a completely different to the one you have with the manager.

Someone like Sven, for example, would hardly ever speak to you. Very rarely you might have a one-on-one with him if he came over to talk to you - well actually it was more like a whisper, he spoke very quietly. But you'd always be intrigued, because it was such a rare occurrence that he would be speaking to you at all. So you'd listen.

View photos Newcastle manager Steve McClaren looks dejected against Bournemouth during the 3-1 defeat More

Steve, meanwhile, was basically one of the lads. Everyone loved him. He was also vitally important on the training ground. He would set up most of the sessions and he would have a huge input into anything Sven wanted to implement.

He was hugely respected - partly because he had been Alex Ferguson's number two at Manchester United, but also simply because of how good his training sessions were. You were always tested mentally, it was never an easy session and there was always a clear reason for everything he wanted to do.

But when he made the transition from coach to manager, it was almost impossible for the players to go from having a laugh and bantering with him to seeing him as "England manager" - such a daunting job title.

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Steve didn't try to change things that much in terms of his relationships with the players, for instance by suddenly becoming super strict and serious. But that worked against him. Because as good as Steve's training sessions were, the managers I have worked with that I consider the best are the ones that kept their distance and were a bit aloof, as opposed to being your best mate. That helped them establish their authority.

You almost need a psychology degree to be a manager these days. Even with Fabio Capello - who may not have done too well with England - you could tell why he had been so successful in the past. He had real authority. A bit like Sir Alex, who was almost like a head teacher. His players were scared of him - and sometimes it's fear that gets the best out of players.

But I don't think Steve has that. He is bubbly, smiley, lively, energetic - all of the time. Of course, there were occasions in that England campaign where he would lose his rag - perhaps unsurprisingly given what a disaster it was - but it didn't have the same impact on the players as it would have done from other managers.

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