Video: Steve McClaren has picked up a comedy Dutch accent in Holland

You won't believe this... but calamity coach Steve McClaren sounds as though he's turning into a top European boss.

Then again that's only because the England flop, now managing in Holland, has bizarrely picked up a Dutch accent.

Just like famous Netherlands coaches such as Marco van Basten and Guus Hiddink, McClaren, 47, now pronounces "fantastic" as "fantash-tic" and "massive" as "masshive".

But that's as far as the similarity goes. Because as well as not matching their success, he now seems to speak even worse English than they do.

McClaren was quizzed by a Dutch female interviewer in flawless English before his new side FC Twente played Arsenal this week.

But the Yorkshireman must have left her stunned with his garbled, ungrammatical answers.

He babbled: "I sort of knew when I came here and Champions League, er, Liverpool and Arsenal, I thought maybe one of them we would draw and it is Arsenal."

There were more nonsensical replies as he wittered: "Of course it is a bigger interest now for English football, England manager abroad take his team to Arsenal."

And the Three Lions failure showed that while his accent has never quite been on success, it now appears to be firmly on comedy.

He rambled on in his new Dutch brogue: "Big games, Champions League, Arsenal at home, the Emirates, will be fantashtic for the players."

Asked about his chances against the Gunners, he said: "I say, erm, I think we are not just, what you call, underdogs, we are massh-ive underdogs."

Hapless McClaren was ridiculed as The Wally with the Brolly last November as he focused on keeping his hair dry while England slumped 3-2 to Croatia to crash out of Euro 2008.

On Wednesday he carried on where he left off - losing 2-0 to Arsenal.

One expert yesterday explained his odd speech is a sign he is desperately trying to be accepted in Holland.

Lancaster University's Prof Cary Cooper said: "It's not uncommon when someone goes into a new culture that they sound like they have the accent.

"If he spoke in a sophisticated English way they might not understand some expressions."

No doubt they will understand "Sorry we lost" once they have heard it a few dozen times...

In case it ever comes up in an interview Steve, the Dutch for Wally with a Brolly is de idiot met de paraplu

Add your own mockery of the ex England boss at blogs.mirror.co.uk/3pm