Embattled England manager Steve McClaren has hit back at his critics, saying he will not be hounded out of his job by "some hateful mob".

"I won't let them grind me down," British newspapers quoted him as saying.

"They will have to drag me kicking and screaming out of Soho Square (the English FA headquarters) because I've got work to do and I'm not leaving until I've done it."

McClaren and his players were booed and taunted by many of the 16,000 England fans during his side's largely unimpressive 3-0 victory over tiny Andorra in a Euro 2008 qualifier last Wednesday.

The manager then walked out of his post-match news conference after two minutes, saying he was not concerned about what reporters wrote.

The media have ripped into McClaren since the goalless draw with Israel that preceded the Andorra game. There have been widespread calls for his sacking, only eight months after he took over from Sven-Goran Eriksson.

McClaren praised the "courage and backbone" of his players and said his spirits had been raised by a text message from Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard telling him that they were united behind him.

"Steve's text gave me hope for the rest of the campaign," he said. "I've had brilliant support from the players and my staff has been superb. Now we can go forward.

"I don't believe I will ever get abuse as bad as that again in my life," he said of the game against Andorra in Barcelona. "But when I look back on that experience I feel I have emerged stronger."

Former England manager and current FAI international consultant Bobby Robson questioned whether the players still had the passion and pride of former times.

"I hope the current players still dream of playing for their country rather than starring in the Champions League but, given recent performances and results, you have to question it," he wrote in the Mail on Sunday.

"Sometimes it feels as if the whole England experience has been cheapened and after last week's struggles. . . we need to return to the time when playing for your country was the most important thing you could do in the game."

Robson, no stranger to abuse from the media during his time at the helm, also had some advice for McClaren.

"I will always remember the headline 'In the Name of Allah, Go' after we drew a friendly game against Saudi Arabia," he said.

"Nothing prepares you for the abuse you receive as an England manager, but the best thing is to soldier on and try to express yourself the best way you can."  Reuters