Jodee Brown
The Reggae Boyz finally find their new head coach. Former England national team boss, Steve McClaren, is set to take charge of the Jamaica men’s senior national team.
On Wednesday, the Jamaica Football Federation announced McClaren will be the new national team manager. McClaren will join the Reggae Boyz from Manchester United, where he served his latest assistant coaching stint under manager, Erik ten Hag.
Please help us welcome the New Coach of the Jamaica Senior Men’s National Team Mr. Stephen McClaren 🇯🇲 pic.twitter.com/UoOeeGWXVw
— Official J.F.F (@jff_football) July 31, 2024
For McClaren, Jamaica will be his second go at international football management. McClaren took over as England manager in 2006 following the departure of then-boss, Sven-Göran Eriksson. However, his tenure with the Three Lions ended disastrously, with England infamously missing out on Euro 2008, the last tournament they’ve failed to qualify for. Club-wise, McClaren is best remembered for leading Middlesbrough to the 2003/2004 English League Cup and the 2006 UEFA Cup Final. He also led FC Twente to a Dutch Eredivisie title in 2008/09. The 63-year-old coach last managed club football with Queens Park Rangers in the English Championship.
The JFF picked McClaren over several other linked candidates. These include former Manchester United boss, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, and ex-Newcastle United manager, Steve Bruce.
Steve McClaren succeeds Icelandic boss Heimir Hallgrímsson, who stepped down from the Reggae Boyz after a disastrous 2024 Copa America campaign. Despite taking Jamaica to the Copa, the 2023 Gold Cup semi-finals and a podium finish in the 2023/24 CONCACAF Nations League, Hallgrímsson left, owing to long-standing issues with the J.F.F. and some players. Earlier this month, Hallgrímsson took over as the Republic of Ireland’s head coach.
Jamaica’s next game sees them kick off their 2024/25 CONCACAF Nations League campaign at home to Cuba on Sept. 6.
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