What's new

Gareth Southgate resigns after England's Euro 2024 loss [Update at post#52]

Gareth Southgate - right man to manage England?

  • Yes give him the job on a permanent basis

    Votes: 4 100.0%

  • No he shouldn't be given the job on a permanent basis

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    4
  • Poll closed .
S

Saj

PakPassion Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Jun 1, 2001
Runs
96,094
He's had some good results since taking over as the England manager.

Do you feel he should be given the job on a permanent basis?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Absolutely. The last thing this English side needs is another period of transition.
 
Not like they are many options available. Might as well give him the job. He won't do any worse or better than his predecessors.
 
England leading 2-0 against Spain at the moment, so positive signs under Southgate continue.
 
2-2 draw with Spain not a bad result in any way, but England lost the plot right at the end, given the context.
 
He's done more than enough. Good bloke and worth a shot.
 
FA would "love" to extend Gareth Southgate's England deal beyond 2022 World Cup

The Football Association would "love" Gareth Southgate to continue as England manager beyond the end of his contract "regardless" of the result in Tuesday's Euro 2020 last-16 tie against Germany.

Southgate is under contract until after the 2022 winter World Cup in Qatar.

The 50-year-old steered England to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and guided them to the Euro 2020 knockout stage.

"Our support is unwavering," said FA chief executive Mark Bullingham. "We are 100% behind Gareth."

"Gareth knows exactly how we feel about him," Bullingham added.

"We feel he is brilliant, both on and off the pitch. We want him to carry on. He's doing a great job. Regardless of Tuesday. Absolutely.

"Gareth has done a brilliant job, finishing top of the group, really solid defence, and he's done really well on and off the pitch, in every aspect.

"We would love him to carry on, for sure, beyond this contract."

Bullingham expects to hold "formal conversations" with Southgate over his contract after Euro 2020.

Southgate has won 36 of his 57 games in charge of England, a win rate of 63%.

Of managers who have taken charge of 10 games or more, only Fabio Capello has achieved a higher win rate of 66.7%.

On Tuesday, Southgate's side will play in front of an expected 40,000 fans against Germany at Wembley Stadium.

It was confirmed earlier this week that 60,000 supporters will attend the semi-finals and final at Wembley after talks with Uefa about potentially moving the final away from London.

The increase will also see the largest crowds assembled for a sporting event in the UK in more than 15 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"It was definitely a real possibility of being moved," Bullingham said. "The government were fantastic, working really close with them and Uefa we got to a really good position.

"It has had to come and had to balance public health all the way through that but we came to a sensible decision.

"We always said that we wanted the Euros to provide the platform for next season.

"We are hoping we can do it really safely and all the evidence so far from the research programme (suggests) that we are not causing any significant outbreaks for anything."

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/57618624
 
how stupid to begin talks in the middle of a major tournament about contract extention.
 
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/59371397

England manager Gareth Southgate has signed a new contract to keep him in the role until December 2024.

Southgate, whose previous contract was set to run out after the 2022 winter World Cup in Qatar, has been manager of the national side since November 2016.

He led England to the final of Euro 2020 - their best men's performance in 55 years - in July.

"It remains an incredible privilege to lead this team. We have a great opportunity in front of us," he said.

Southgate will oversee England's progress at next year's World Cup, which runs from 21 November-18 December, and the qualification stages for Euro 2024, with the tournament taking place from 14 June-14 July.

Assistant manager Steve Holland has also agreed a new deal through to the end of 2024.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank the players and support team for their hard work," Southgate said.

"I know they and the fans are all excited about what this squad could achieve in future."

Southgate initially took over as caretaker manager from Sam Allardyce in September 2016 before being appointed permanently two months later.

In 2018, he led England to the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in 28 years.

Under his tenure, they also finished third in the Uefa Nations League before reaching the Euro 2020 final, where they lost on penalties to Italy - their only defeat of the year.

"Over the last few months I've managed some of the biggest games in world football," Southgate said.

"There are no shortcuts to those moments. When you have a good team and have done a lot of work culturally, where they are a good team, you want to see it through and have a go.

"It's difficult to win major tournaments, we've only won one World Cup, but we have to believe that's possible. It's an aim we have as a team."

England have won 44 of their 68 matches under Southgate, with 14 defeats and 10 draws.

They thrashed San Marino 10-0 in their most recent international outing to secure their place at next year's World Cup finals in Qatar and Southgate said he is "looking forward to making new memories."

"England has been a massive part of my life as a supporter, player, under-21 manager and now manager.

"The tournaments and big matches are what inspired me as a kid and to be able to connect people to that has been very, very special - and the team can still improve and want to improve.

"To step away at a moment where the next few years could be very exciting would have stayed with me. I was very happy to commit to a project I really believe in.

Southgate said he is also excited by the potential in the England team's future and his aim is to make sure the side "always evolves" and is "always competitive".

"We can see what's possible with the existing squad and some of the players coming through our age-group teams," he added.

"I think what you hope is that you want sustained success. When you look at the top nations over years and years - Germany, Italy, France - they've had odd fallow periods, but generally they've always been competing for major tournaments.

"We have to make sure our team always evolves and is always competitive. We're now in a group of teams who can genuinely challenge. That wasn't the case six or seven years ago. We went with hope, but now we can genuinely be positive.

"We know expectations are higher but that's fine, the team is better than three years ago."

It has been widely reported this new contract will increase Southgate's salary to between £5-6m a year.
Click to expand...
 
Gareth Southgate is clearly an excellent chap and a quality man-manager. He got England to a semi final and a final consecutively across two tournaments, and they were a couple of kicks of the football away from winning a major trophy in the latter game.

So he’s as successful a coach as England have had in decades, probably the second most successful in all of our history behind Sir Alf Ramsey.

But I can’t help feeling that England will not win the World Cup with Gareth in the top job. He just seems to lack the tactical nous, the ruthlessness and the bloody-minded decisiveness to make the big calls at the right times in the crunch fixtures.
 
Sports Personality 2021: Gareth Southgate and England named Coach and Team of the Year

Gareth Southgate has been named Coach of the Year and England men Team of the Year at the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year show.

Southgate led the Three Lions to the Euro 2020 final at Wembley, where they lost to Italy on penalties.

But in reaching the final, England ended their 55-year wait for a major final since the 1966 World Cup triumph.

It is the second time Southgate, 51, has been named Coach of the Year, having first won the award in 2018.

England men last won the Team of the Year award in 1966.

Southgate has been England manager since September 2016 and recently signed a new contract until December 2024.

He initially took over as caretaker manager from Sam Allardyce before being appointed permanently two months later.

In 2018, he led England to the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in 28 years, while under his tenure, they also finished third in the Uefa Nations League.

The defeat by Italy in the Euros final was England's only loss in 2021.

In total, England have won 44 of their 68 matches under Southgate, with 14 defeats and 10 draws.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/sports-personality/59681685
 
<b>England: Tyrick Mitchell & Kyle Walker-Peters earn first senior call-ups</b>

Crystal Palace full-back Tyrick Mitchell and Southampton defender Kyle Walker-Peters have been given their first England senior call-ups.

England host Switzerland on Saturday before taking on Ivory Coast on Tuesday with both friendly games at Wembley.

They will be joined in the squad by West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone and Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins.

It follows the withdrawals of Aaron Ramsdale, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James and Tammy Abraham through injury.

It will be the first involvement with England at any level for London-born Mitchell, 22, who played for AFC Wembley as a youngster before joining Brentford's youth set-up. He has made 57 appearances for Palace, scoring one goal.

Walker-Peters, 24, a 2017 Under-20 World Cup winner, has earned caps from Under-18 through to Under-21 level and has made 28 appearances for Saints this season, scoring three goals.


<b>England squad</b>

<b>Goalkeepers: </b>Sam Johnstone, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope

<b>Defenders: </b>Conor Coady, Marc Guehi, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Tyrick Mitchell, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Kyle Walker-Peters, Ben White

<b>Midfielders: </b>Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Jordan Henderson, Mason Mount, Declan Rice, James Ward-Prowse

<b>Forwards: </b>Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Raheem Sterling, Ollie Watkins
 
<b>England — Qatar 2022 World Cup — update</b>

After playing Iran on 21 November, England play the USA on 25 November before finishing their Group B campaign on 29 November against one of Scotland, Wales or Ukraine.

The winner of the remaining European play-off will open their World Cup campaign against the USA on the first day of the tournament.

Should Scotland progress they will play England at a World Cup finals for the first time. The two sides met at last summer's Euro 2020 tournament with the game ending goalless.

Wales and England have never met at a World Cup finals either. England won 2-1 when the sides met in the group stage at Euro 2016.

"We've got to get out of the group," said England boss Gareth Southgate. "Out first objective is to get out of the group and then we build from there.

"When you're seeded you get the advantage of missing out on those big six or seven teams. Most of the first seeds would be pleased with the group they get.

"The USA are an interesting one. They've got some very good players and we know what they could be capable of, so that one in particular is an intriguing one."

BBC
 
Gareth Southgate hits back at England critics after side struggle to create against Hungary and Germany

Gareth Southgate hit back at criticism of his "defensive" tactical style and re-affirmed he will not "outstay his welcome" in the role of England manager.

Southgate has taken his country to a World Cup semi-final, a Nations League third-place finish and the final of Euro 2020 in the past four years.

But even during his most successful spells he has had to face accusations that he sets up his sides too cautiously.

Supporters and former England players have called for Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold and Manchester City's £100m man Jack Grealish to play more.

But Southgate refutes the idea that he is not gung-ho enough and singled out what he considered a selfless performance from Mason Mount in the 1-1 Nations League draw in Germany as something that largely goes unnoticed.

"Look, I've got to find a balance because I don't want to sit and be defensive but some people have managed teams and others haven't," he said.

"Until you've managed teams, you have a different view of the game because what's needed to win football matches are the sorts of things that Mount did on (Joshua) Kimmich that allows other things to happen.

"Of course for the man who comes and stands on the terrace and in old terms pays his money, I totally understand he wants to see a Grealish with a (Raheem) Sterling, with a (Bukayo) Saka…but you've got to have a balance of the team, this is top-level football.

"I think that balance of the team to get to a semi-final and final has been pretty good and maybe we've talked for years about why we haven't got there. I've got to manage in the way I see fit."

Asked if he had been in touch with pundits who have criticised his approach, Southgate replied: "Never.

"They are normally in a role where they are paid to give an opinion and that is what they have to do. They are giving an opinion as they see it - that's part of the industry, isn't it?

"It is not nice when you are on the receiving end, of course not. You file it, you use it to motivate yourself and you totally understand it is part and parcel of being a manager."

Speaking the day after last summer's Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy and before he had signed a new contract, Southgate had said he would not stay in the role for longer than he was wanted.

He reiterated that stance as he answered questions regarding the criticism he faces as England boss.

"I won't outstay my welcome but I think I can do a good job for the team and I think we've done a good job for the team," he said.

"If you look back I have always said it. I am not going to be here forever am I? There will be another England manager.

"But that's how I have always felt about it. The major part of that is how the players are. Do I still feel the players give everything and respond to what we do? Yes I do!

"I think we'll continue to improve the team, which we have done over a consistent period of time and I think we're also developing young players as well that will leave England in a good place for a long period to come.

"I'm always going to have those situations where people are going to disagree with the selection."

https://www.skysports.com/football/...truggle-to-create-against-hungary-and-germany
 
England 0-0 Italy: UEFA Nations League draw at Molineux leaves Gareth Southgate's side bottom of their group

England could only manage a 0-0 draw against Italy at Molineux as Gareth Southgate's side remain bottom of Nations League Group A3.

England had chances to win it, striking the crossbar through Mason Mount and seeing Raheem Sterling miss the target from close range.

But Italy were good value for their point and it required a big performance from Aaron Ramsdale to keep the game goalless, saving sensationally from Sandro Tonali in the first half and just about keeping Roberto Mancini's side at bay thereafter.

The result leaves England's chances of progressing in the Nations League in jeopardy. Finishing bottom would bring relegation. The draw is enough for Italy, the team who denied them on penalties in that Wembley final last summer, to maintain top spot.

https://www.skysports.com/football/england-vs-italy/report/461676
 
So that is three games without a win now for England.

This is simply not a good enough series of results for a FIFA and UEFA upper tier rated team and top seed which has legitimate and serious ambitions to win the World Cup in six months.

An abject loss in Hungary, a messy and lucky tied match away to Germany, and an insomnia-curing bore draw in a profoundly strange home match with Italy.

As another passing move broke down last night, and as yet another period of possession ran out of ideas & went backwards to the goalkeeper, in the far distance I could gently, softly, hear the tolling of a bell.

That the game was being played behind closed doors perhaps provided the clarity and quiet that was needed to think about this situation properly and clearly.

Here it is then: I think Gareth is pretty much done in the England manager role.

First, the positives. There are many. His softer skills are excellent. He has successfully reversed the long standing internal England team rot — perhaps even permanently. He has advanced the causes of anti-racism and anti-discrimination within the institutionalised English game.

He has improved the relationship between the England national team and the infamously vicious mainstream sports media. After a mediocre result, England do not get mercilessly slaughtered and ridiculed in the morning tabloids any longer with the manager being offered up as a blood sacrifice. There is still criticism. But occasionally there is a hint of forgiveness as well.

Moreover, on the field, Southgate got an English side to a major final for the first time in over fifty years, and within a couple of penalties of winning the tournament. He has created a club feel within the national setup, and the players love him.

In short — he has done a very good job and turned England into a highly competent, competitive, and motivated team. He is an intelligent, articulate and decent guy, and he deserves respect. His legacy as England boss is assured.

Southgate’s tactics, however, have just become woefully unsuited to such a gifted group of footballers.

The prodigious attacking talent across the English game — a literal embarrassment of riches — is being wasted by the deeply conservative strategic approach that he has coached, trained out, formulated, and embedded. It is not a recipe for success any longer.

Quality players last night like Reece James, Declan Rice and Jack Grealish did their best, but they were tracking back excessively to plug defensive gaps and when they did have the rare chance to go forward they found themselves aimlessly running around. They don’t know what they are doing anymore.

England are solid — but they now need a more experienced, more creative, more tactically aggressive, and frankly just a better Head Coach to manage and lead them into the future as they seek to go to the next level.

FA: Don’t wait until they go out of the World Cup in the quarter finals with a whimper. Do it now. Replace Gareth now.

HM / Gov: In the New Year’s Honours List, award Southgate with a deserved Knighthood. Arise Sir Gareth.

Give him a nice home win at a sold out Molineux on Tuesday night so he has a pleasant swansong to take away — because he has genuinely earned this — and then move on.
 
Thrashed at home by Hungary.

Four really poor games for England and Southgate.

He’s got to go.
 
Gareth Southgate: England manager takes responsibility for Hungary loss; Harry Kane backs under-fire boss

Gareth Southgate told disgruntled England fans to "stay with" his Three Lions players ahead of this year's World Cup - as he took responsibility for a 4-0 thrashing at home to Hungary.

Southgate's side were well-beaten by Hungary at Molineux in their final match of a rotten Nations League run this month - with the visitors scoring three times in the second half at the expense of the collapsing England defence - who lost John Stones to a red card late on.

The Three Lions boss was greeted by boos and chants of, "you don't know what you're doing" by the Wolverhampton crowd.

Captain Harry Kane jumped to Southgate's defence by saying the manager is "without a doubt" the right man to lead England, and while the Three Lions boss admitted that criticism hurt him - he defended his players.

"We picked a young team with energy and when the game started to go against them, it started to look that way. That's my responsibility in the end," Southgate told Channel 4.

"I said to the players, our four matches is my responsibility. I have to balance looking at new players, rest players. We couldn't keep flogging out our experienced players.

"It was an important experience for lots of young players in these games. We've learned a lot in Germany and Italy games. Hungary are a good side and we knew that. I gave them too much to do tonight.

"I understand the reaction in the stadium, what I would say is that in these sets of fixtures, these players have been unbelievable for the country. They have to stay with them.

"Tonight was the sort of night that my predecessors have had. It's important to stand. I'm not going to say it doesn't hurt."

Hungary's victory was their first on English soil in nearly 70 years, while it was the Three Lions' heaviest defeat at home since losing 6-1 to Scotland in 1928.

The result brings a difficult run of fixtures to an end, with England losing the return fixture in Budapest 1-0 to start their month's competitive run, before drawing with Germany and Italy.

England scored just one goal from open play in those four games, with just 162 days and two more matches until they kick-off their World Cup campaign against Iran in mid-November.

"We've broken a huge number of records and tonight we're on the other side of it," Southgate added in his press conference.

"I don't think it [the recent poor run] is painful - because we haven't been at full strength. We need to be at full strength to win matches and we've seen that for several teams across Europe in the Nations League.

"Tonight's a difficult night. I've watched as a kid and a player, and I recognise those difficult times. But you can't just be at the front when things are good, and not stand up when things get tough.

"I knew the role before I took it. It's happened in ten days, not eleven months. But I've seen other England managers go through that - the great Bobby Robson was, and look how he was judged in the end.

"Football is emotion, and if the flak comes my way, you have to expect that. You can't be England manager and have the run I've had for the last five years without also having some tough times."

https://www.skysports.com/football/...hungary-loss-harry-kane-backs-under-fire-boss
 
The performance against Hungary looked like a group of players more interested on being on a beach rather than on a football field.

It's been a long season in the Premier League and the performances of the English players proved that.
 
Saj said:
The performance against Hungary looked like a group of players more interested on being on a beach rather than on a football field.

It's been a long season in the Premier League and the performances of the English players proved that.
Click to expand...

Yes it did and this excuse came from the commies also.

England players are very rich, they get nothing to play for England. They also dont have the worlds best players around them as they do at City or LFC, which shows in their football.

England have no chance to win the world cup with this manager, too defensive and not very inspiring.

England to reach quarter finals at best in the World Cup, esp since they will be up against the top teams at this stage.
 
KingKhanWC said:
Yes it did and this excuse came from the commies also.

England players are very rich, they get nothing to play for England. They also dont have the worlds best players around them as they do at City or LFC, which shows in their football.

England have no chance to win the world cup with this manager, too defensive and not very inspiring.

England to reach quarter finals at best in the World Cup, esp since they will be up against the top teams at this stage.
Click to expand...

This team doesn’t deserve it due to their deplorable fans, trouble follows this team and you’re right, too wealthy and little hunger, the support doesn’t help either, with fans like that why get out of bed. I would much rather the England cricket team do well, the fans are better to
 
<b>Gareth Southgate: After a 'damaging & humiliating' defeat, can England boss be a winner?</b>€’

Gareth Southgate has had nights of deep disappointment as England manager before, but none laced with the level of vitriolic personal abuse and scrutiny that followed humiliation by Hungary at Molineux.

The loss to Croatia in the last four of the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the defeat by Italy on penalties in the Euro 2020 final last July fell under the banner of glorious failure, as England were in territory they had not occupied in so long.

Southgate's own status as - so the song went - "the one" was largely untouched among England supporters, even though his conservative approach in both those games had been revisited amid a dreadful start to their Nations League campaign.

The 4-0 embarrassment at the hands of a workmanlike but hardly world-class Hungary side was different. Very different.

Southgate was the main target for a mutinous Molineux as the pain piled up with loud chants of "You don't know what you're doing" as a result of the worst performance in his six years and 74 games as England manager.

Of course Southgate knows what he is doing. It was only a year ago he led England to their first major final since they won the World Cup in 1966. They have cruised through qualifying for Qatar - although so they should.

Is Southgate the winner England have wanted for 56 years? This remains an unanswered question.

We will find out more in Qatar and there is no doubt this World Cup will shape his future, even though he is contracted for two more years afterwards.

Memories for football managers are notoriously short, especially with England, and Southgate is going nowhere. Nor should he with the World Cup in Qatar only six months hence. It is not even a debate for someone who has achieved what he has in his two major tournaments.

This does not stop the growing and obvious concerns around an England team now facing relegation in the Nations League and without a goal in open play for six hours.

Southgate has been surrounded by grumblings of discontent and off-stage chuntering throughout these recent games as England have been uninspired, out of sorts and, well, just deadly dull.

Manager and players needed a convincing win to round off the season and stem those growing gripes, but instead all they got was an England horror show as they were clinically taken apart by a Hungary side ranked 40th in the world.

Again, there must be context.

Many England players have looked exhausted at the end of an arduous season. Southgate himself has cut a more world-weary figure than usual as this international break has moved through defeat in Budapest, a late draw via Harry Kane's penalty in Munich, the goalless draw with Italy, then carnage against Hungary.

There is also no escaping the brutal reality that England do not resemble a team that has moved forward in the past 12 months and now have only two more Nations League games, against Italy and Germany in September, to start looking like one.

Old faults remain, such as the over-reliance on Kane, while the performance of John Stones, even though his sending off was ridiculous, will do nothing to lower pulse rates at the prospect of his partnership with Manchester United captain Harry Maguire handling world-class forwards in Qatar.

It was also not a bad night for Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to have off, his status as England number one further enhanced as Arsenal's Aaron Ramsdale found himself stuck behind such a wretched performance.

Southgate and England need this summer break to refresh minds and legs, to dissect what has happened not just in the past fortnight but throughout a lacklustre 12 months.

He will hope players who have looked leg-weary are refreshed and come through the first three months of the Premier League season unharmed, because much depends on it for Southgate and England.

BBC
 
Last edited:
James said:
<b>Gareth Southgate: After a 'damaging & humiliating' defeat, can England boss be a winner?</b>€’

Gareth Southgate has had nights of deep disappointment as England manager before, but none laced with the level of vitriolic personal abuse and scrutiny that followed humiliation by Hungary at Molineux.

The loss to Croatia in the last four of the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the defeat by Italy on penalties in the Euro 2020 final last July fell under the banner of glorious failure, as England were in territory they had not occupied in so long.

Southgate's own status as - so the song went - "the one" was largely untouched among England supporters, even though his conservative approach in both those games had been revisited amid a dreadful start to their Nations League campaign.

The 4-0 embarrassment at the hands of a workmanlike but hardly world-class Hungary side was different. Very different.

Southgate was the main target for a mutinous Molineux as the pain piled up with loud chants of "You don't know what you're doing" as a result of the worst performance in his six years and 74 games as England manager.

Of course Southgate knows what he is doing. It was only a year ago he led England to their first major final since they won the World Cup in 1966. They have cruised through qualifying for Qatar - although so they should.

Is Southgate the winner England have wanted for 56 years? This remains an unanswered question.

We will find out more in Qatar and there is no doubt this World Cup will shape his future, even though he is contracted for two more years afterwards.

Memories for football managers are notoriously short, especially with England, and Southgate is going nowhere. Nor should he with the World Cup in Qatar only six months hence. It is not even a debate for someone who has achieved what he has in his two major tournaments.

This does not stop the growing and obvious concerns around an England team now facing relegation in the Nations League and without a goal in open play for six hours.

Southgate has been surrounded by grumblings of discontent and off-stage chuntering throughout these recent games as England have been uninspired, out of sorts and, well, just deadly dull.

Manager and players needed a convincing win to round off the season and stem those growing gripes, but instead all they got was an England horror show as they were clinically taken apart by a Hungary side ranked 40th in the world.

Again, there must be context.

Many England players have looked exhausted at the end of an arduous season. Southgate himself has cut a more world-weary figure than usual as this international break has moved through defeat in Budapest, a late draw via Harry Kane's penalty in Munich, the goalless draw with Italy, then carnage against Hungary.

There is also no escaping the brutal reality that England do not resemble a team that has moved forward in the past 12 months and now have only two more Nations League games, against Italy and Germany in September, to start looking like one.

Old faults remain, such as the over-reliance on Kane, while the performance of John Stones, even though his sending off was ridiculous, will do nothing to lower pulse rates at the prospect of his partnership with Manchester United captain Harry Maguire handling world-class forwards in Qatar.

It was also not a bad night for Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to have off, his status as England number one further enhanced as Arsenal's Aaron Ramsdale found himself stuck behind such a wretched performance.

Southgate and England need this summer break to refresh minds and legs, to dissect what has happened not just in the past fortnight but throughout a lacklustre 12 months.

He will hope players who have looked leg-weary are refreshed and come through the first three months of the Premier League season unharmed, because much depends on it for Southgate and England.

BBC
Click to expand...

It’s coming home :)
 
The Football Association has confidence in England manager Gareth Southgate, says its chairwoman Debbie Hewitt.

England face relegation in the Nations League following last week's humiliating 4-0 defeat against Hungary.

But in her first public comments since becoming FA chair last year, Hewitt praised Southgate's "resilience and accountability".

"Based on any facts on the pitch, he is the most successful England manager we've had for 55 years," she said.

"But the bit people don't see is the culture he's created.

"Prior to Gareth being the manager there was not the pride of wearing the England shirt. There was a club rivalry we would read about, players not getting on.

"He's changed that beyond recognition and I've seen that for myself.

"I've worked in business and Gareth's skills, his high IQ, would make him a chief executive in any sphere.

"That resilience and accountability. There's no sloped shoulders, and that's what you want in an England manager."

Since taking charge in 2016, Southgate has led England to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and then a first European Championship final last year.

Hewitt said she had spoken to Southgate to reassure him after the poor recent results and backed the FA's decision last year to extend the 51-year-old a contract extension to 2024, rather than waiting until after this winter's World Cup in Qatar.

"I think that's a bit of a red herring, in a sense, because I don't think we would be discussing it had we not had the recent series of games," she said.

"Clearly we did that with proper discussion and thought. The fact there's been a stumble does not make us automatically say 'should we have given him a contract?'

"We have confidence in Gareth for all the reasons I described and I think that's the important thing. And it's particularly important going into the biggest tournament.

"Gareth's reaction (to her call), as in everything with that sort of conversation, was that it is his accountability, that there's always something to learn.

"That's why it's refreshing working with somebody like that because that openness to learn is quite remarkable and quite unusual in any sphere."

BBC
 
Gareth Southgate's final England squad before he names the players travelling to the World Cup is mixture of trademark loyalty and the chance for Brentford's Ivan Toney to become a late 'bolter' for Qatar.

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire, in particular, will be grateful for Southgate's faith after being marginalised at Old Trafford under new manager Erik ten Hag, while Toney's five goals and outstanding performances earn him a fully deserved call-up as the only uncapped player in England's 28-man squad.

These are two vital Nations League games coming up, against Italy in the San Siro in Milan and Germany at Wembley, not simply to avoid embarrassing relegation from their group but to crystallise Southgate's final World Cup thoughts.

Southgate will want to end a run of four England games without a win, including defeats home and away by Hungary, the latter a humiliating 4-0 thrashing at Molineux.

BBC
 
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has been added to the England squad for Nations League games against Italy and Germany.

Henderson, 32, was not named in Gareth Southgate's initial squad because of a hamstring injury.

However, the midfielder has now recovered and has joined up with the squad at St George's Park.

He replaces Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips, who withdrew over the weekend with a shoulder problem.

Henderson, who has 69 caps, has missed Liverpool's last three matches after being injured during their 2-1 win against Newcastle United at Anfield on 31 August.

He has made only one appearance for England in 2022 - a 2-1 friendly win against Switzerland at Wembley in March.

England face European champions Italy at the San Siro in Milan on Friday and Germany at Wembley on Monday.
 
Criticism of England manager Gareth Southgate this summer was "very harsh", Jack Grealish has said.

England failed to win any of their four Nations League games in June, including 1-0 and 4-0 defeats by Hungary.

However, Southgate led England to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and a first European Championship final in 2021.

"I thought it was harsh but sometimes that's what you get if you're English. I've had my fair share," Manchester City winger Grealish said.

"We reached the [Euro 2020] final last year - then [there was] the [loss to] Hungary at the start of the last camp, but before that the last time we'd lost a game over 90 minutes was Belgium in November 2020."

England drew with Italy and Germany either side of the defeats by Hungary in internationals at the end of the last league season.

After the four games, Football Association chairwoman Debbie Hewitt insisted English football's governing body has confidence in Southgate.

Grealish was speaking prior to England's Nations League games against Italy on Friday and Germany three days later, which are the team's last fixtures before the 2022 World Cup.

The attacking midfielder, who was signed for £100m by City from Aston Villa, also responded to remarks from club team-mate Kevin de Bruyne who suggested that English players are treated more harshly in the media.

"I can obviously see where he's coming from a little bit," said Grealish.

"But I think that's just the way it is in this country, especially if you're myself, playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world, who are winning trophies every single year.

"Obviously when I have the price tag on my head that I have, people are going to want to talk. It's just something that I need to [get on with].

"I keep going back to it, saying embrace it and it's just part and parcel, but I do see where he's coming from a little bit."
 
Last edited:
England's embarrassing relegation from their Nations League group might just be the least of manager Gareth Southgate's worries as they once again flouted their status as one of the supposed World Cup favourites.

Here, in the majestic surroundings of Milan's San Siro stadium, England's dismal sequence of results was extended by a defeat against a seriously weakened Italy, who will not even be in Qatar when the showpiece gets under way in November.

Southgate now has 90 minutes of action against Germany on Monday before he names his squad, the dynamics of selection altered by the tournament's unique timing which sees domestic action continue until days before the opening game.

Southgate's thoughts should be crystallised, names set in stone, only the final tweaks and confirmation remaining before England embark on the mission to improve on their run to the World Cup semi-final in Russia in 2018.

Not a bit of it. Not if this performance is any accurate measure.

If this is how England are going to shape up, they will hardly set off with confidence because this was another mediocre disappointment to add to the mediocre disappointments of those four winless games in June, encapsulated by two losses to Hungary, including the 4-0 defeat at Molineux that saw fans turn on Southgate for the first time.

Southgate suffered more jeers here at the final whistle, although nowhere near the level of Molineux, from England's fans perched on the highest tier of this historic arena, which is to be knocked down and rebuilt. It is looking a little frayed at the edges but it remains wonderfully atmospheric, especially when largely populated by Italian fans celebrating yet another victory over England.

He accepted the England supporters' disapproval when he went to acknowledge them after such a performance and loss, but to hear this response to a manager who was afforded national hero status after the defeat by Italy in the Euros final was a measure of how the mood has changed.

For balance, it should be mentioned that Hungary's superb run continued with a 1-0 win over Germany in Leipzig on Friday. It is not only England who have been made to suffer by the Magyars.

It was 439 days since England lost on penalties to Italy in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley, and the body of evidence is growing that they have gone into reverse since then.

Southgate regarded this performance as a step in the right direction, an argument having merit only on the basis it was nowhere near as shambolic as the debacle against Hungary, but the rationale that this time was not quite as bad as last time does not carry much currency.

England's form has fallen off a cliff at the worst possible time, and this run of form is deeply worrying with the days to the World Cup being ticked off.

Among Southgate's most serious concerns will be the lack of goals in England's side. According to sports data provider Opta, it is now 495 minutes since they scored from open play, when Raheem Sterling scored in the 3-0 win against the Ivory Coast in March.

England were heavily reliant on captain Harry Kane before their potency evaporated and he is now carrying an even greater responsibility in Qatar.

Sterling was poor here, and while Phil Foden probed and Jack Grealish at least increased the tempo when he came on as substitute, it was still Kane who seriously tested Italy keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with a quick one-two of efforts late on, Italy's only other alarm coming when Jude Bellingham headed over in the closing seconds.

England offered up mitigating circumstances of fatigue during that June collapse, but this was a below-standard display even with players just starting their domestic season and setting sights on the World Cup.

There was little spark about England, little intent to put their foot down against an Italy team undergoing what captain Leonardo Bonucci called "a rebirth".

England lacked any rhythm, despite the pairing of Declan Rice and Bellingham in midfield. Bukayo Saka's dubious reward for being named his country's player of the year before the game was to be deployed in the unfamiliar role of left wing-back. It is not a task that suits him, and there should have been sympathy all round for Arsenal's gifted youngster when he was substituted.

Southgate and England need to rediscover what they have lost and fast, with the opening World Cup game against Iran - the same Iran who beat Uruguay 1-0 in a friendly on Friday - coming up on 21 November.

England cannot afford any slip-ups in a group that also contains the United States and a Wales team who will be straining at the leash to get at Southgate's side in their current condition.

Their Nations League fate may be sealed when they face Germany at Wembley on Monday, but this is now a fixture of arguably even greater significance as Southgate and England need something to offer optimism and hope as an alternative to the flat, tepid fare on offer in Milan.

England lack form, direction and too many places are under discussion when all plans should be formalised with just one game to play.

Brentford's Ivan Toney, surprisingly excluded from England's matchday squad here, must surely get a chance of some description against Germany. If he does not it makes a mockery of his selection in the squad.

Southgate insisted it was difficult for him to be too critical of the performance. No problem. Others can do it for him.

He is not a manager to hang players out to dry publicly, quite rightly, but England's performance was so poor, so concerning when placed in the World Cup context, that criticism is inevitable and deserved after this latest loss.

Not good enough.

BBC
 
<b>England v Germany: preview</b>

<I>KO 19:45 (Wembley Stadium) — Monday 25th September</i>

<b>Manager Gareth Southgate says it is a "great challenge" leading England during "a difficult time" and they will need "resilience to come through" it.</b>

England were relegated to the Nations League's second tier with a 1-0 defeat by Italy in Milan on Friday.

They face Germany on Monday having gone five games without a victory for the first time since 2014.

"I'm not the first coach to go through a difficult time in terms of results and criticism," said Southgate.

"That is part of the territory. For me, it's a great challenge to lead the team through a moment like this.

"You are not going to have six years as we've had without a spell where you are going to have some tough results, and you've got to show resilience to come through those moments."

Southgate led England to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and a first European Championship final in 2021.

However, they have failed to score from open play in more than eight hours, with Harry Kane's penalty against Germany their only goal in the past five games.

Southgate said: "The results haven't been at the level we want, that we require, so no matter what job you have in football that would be the case.

"Of course with the national team that noise is going to be louder and more widespread - I understand that.

"I'm not hiding from it. We are not enjoying it but we have to keep doing the right things every day to keep improving."

England's game against Germany at Wembley is their last outing before the 2022 World Cup, which starts in Qatar in November.

Winger Raheem Sterling said: "It's been a tough period but I don't think any of the boys will be thinking that we don't have a good chance in the winter - that's the belief that we have as a group.

"The results don't show that right now but I strongly believe, with the boys, that when we go over there in the winter that we'll have a good one.

"There's no need to panic. These results are bad but we've got good things to come."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62951290
 
needs to give tomori a chance and toney and abraham, leave out kane / saka/ dier against germany
 
Should World Cup 2022 be Southgate's last assignment with England (if they fail to do well)?

I think it should be.
 
What a spirited comeback from Southgate’s England against Germany!

England dead and buried at 0-2 down… now suddenly 3-2 up!

Can they hold on?

(No… 3-3 now!)
 
James said:
What a spirited comeback from Southgate’s England against Germany!

England dead and buried at 0-2 down… now suddenly 3-2 up!

Can they hold on?

(No… 3-3 now!)
Click to expand...

90th minute. Still 3-3.

It has been a great game.
 
England 3-3 Germany: Harry Maguire a problem for Gareth Southgate

Gareth Southgate got just what he wanted from England if the measure was spirit and desire but exactly what he did not need from hapless Harry Maguire and goalkeeper Nick Pope.

The manager was stretching the patience of England fans when he declared the dismal defeat in Italy as "a step in the right direction" - but his side demonstrated character and looked like a team fighting for themselves and their manager in the fluctuating 3-3 draw with Germany in their last game before the World Cup in Qatar.

England were two down and staring at a third straight loss before they summoned up not just their first goal from open play in 565 minutes courtesy of Luke Shaw but two more from substitute Mason Mount then Harry Kane's penalty to put them in sight of a first win in six games.

Germany's lead was, in the most part, down to Maguire after he clumsily fouled Jamal Musiala for Ilkay Gundogan's penalty then lost possession and was out of position as the visitors' counter-attack concluded with a sumptuous Kai Havertz finish.

England's defensive cause was not helped by a worrying hamstring injury that forced John Stones off in the first half and an increasingly jittery performance from Eric Dier.

It looked all over at 2-0, but England found what has deserted them in recent months with three goals in that 12-minute burst. It was evidence that this team does have the strength and threat Southgate believes it possesses.

England's comeback had Wembley bouncing until Pope, known for his assured handling even if he was very suspect with the ball at his feet, found his strongest quality deserted him as he fumbled Serge Gnabry's routine shot at the feet of the lurking Havertz with three minutes left.

The draw means this is England's longest run without a win since April to June 1993, but the final whistle was warmly applauded by those who had seen a thrilling second half and at least some optimism to cling to before the action begins in Qatar.

Jude Bellingham showed his class once more, surely a certain World Cup starter now, while the vibrant substitutes Mount and Bukayo Saka delivered the sort of drive and positivity that makes England look a different proposition from the stodge seen recently.

England dug deep when they could have subsided. It would have been easy for heads to drop but they fought with conviction to go so close to an unlikely win.

In the Nations League context, with England already relegated, this was a dead rubber but any meeting with Germany carries significance and the second half carried plenty of excitement.

That was the good part. It was the least Southgate wanted - and needed - after England's fans turned on him for the first time following the losses to Hungary at Molineux and Italy in Milan on Friday.

And then there is the 'but'. A very large one.

The big problem, and it will not go away, is that Maguire showed exactly why he has been dropped by Manchester United and why so many questions are asked about Southgate's continuing faith in him.

The former Leicester City defender was relatively solid until a heavy touch and a poor pass gifted Musiala the ball in dangerous territory. The defender was slow and ponderous to react, resorting to bundling the forward over in desperation.

The only surprise was referee Danny Makkelie needed to gaze at a television screen to confirm what everyone saw in real time before pointing to the spot.

Two mistakes for the price of one, and Germany were happy to take the gift.

It got worse as Maguire started chasing the ball in an attempt to make amends, desperation that ended with him being robbed upfield and left behind the play as Germany went two up.

Southgate will support him publicly but how can he seriously consider starting Maguire in England's World Cup opener against Iran on 21 November on current form?

The England manager's loyalty is based on the fact Maguire has never let him down when it mattered. Can he really take that chance after what he saw here and what Maguire has shown over many months?

If he does, it seems to be case of stubbornness or blind loyalty as the television cameras caught Maguire with the blank stare of a player grasping for some semblance of past form but falling desperately short.

Maguire's confidence is shattered, he is hopelessly out of form and there is no suggestion - and on this evidence nor should there be - of United manager Erik ten Hag calling on his services on too many occasions before the World Cup.

Southgate is standing by Maguire against all the evidence but it is reaching the point where it is not doing the player any good to stick with him.

A solid Maguire performance might just have reduced the noise around his continued selection. This has done exactly the opposite.

It was also a very bad night for keeper Pope, who has put his chances of becoming deputy to first-choice Jordan Pickford - now surely established as England's undisputed number one - in serious danger.

Pope looked nervous with the ball at his feet in Italy and was even more uncertain here before really tarnishing his performance with that costly late error. He has had two opportunities to advance his claims and has not taken them.

England sent their supporters home happy with what they had seen and this deserves to be called a step in the right direction after the misery and mediocrity of Hungary and Italy.

It will have improved the mood, giving England an injection of confidence before Qatar, but Southgate now has a big call to make on Maguire who, at the moment, looks in no shape for the pressures a World Cup campaign will bring.

BBC
 
<b>BREAKING</b>
England defender Reece James looks set to miss the World Cup as Chelsea confirm he is expected to be out for at least eight weeks with a knee injury.


— who will England pick in his place at the right back position?
 
Chelsea's Ben Chilwell says his World Cup dream is over after a scan showed the England left-back has a "significant" hamstring injury.

Chilwell, 25, suffered the injury in the Blues' 2-1 Champions League win over Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday.

He has been capped 17 times by England and was in their most recent squad in September, although did not play.

England start their World Cup against Iran on 21 November, while boss Gareth Southgate names his squad on Thursday.

World Cup 2022 injuries: Who's out? Who's a doubt?
Tottenham manager Antonio Conte criticises football authorities over player welfare
Chilwell suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament in November last year and was ruled out until May.

"Following my ACL injury I worked so hard to make sure I was ready for the World Cup," Chilwell wrote on social media.

"It has always been a dream of mine. Unfortunately, this won't be possible following my scan results. I'll do all I can to get back playing for Chelsea ASAP."

Chilwell was part of the England squad at Euro 2020, although he did not make an appearance during the tournament.

Chelsea said a scan on his hamstring showed he "has suffered a significant injury and is unfortunately expected to miss the World Cup".

They added: "Ben will now begin a rehabilitation programme with the club's medical department."

England hit by defensive injuries

Chilwell is the latest defender to be injured as England prepare for the tournament.

Chelsea right-back Reece James is a major doubt with a knee injury, while Manchester City right-back Kyle Walker is confident of making the squad despite undergoing groin surgery.

Southampton full-back Kyle Walker-Peters is set to be out until the end of the year with a hamstring injury.

Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips is also a doubt after dislocating a shoulder, although City manager Pep Guardiola is "optimistic" he will be fit in time for the tournament.

England boss Southgate favours a 3-5-2 formation, with Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw starting the most recent game against Germany as a left wing-back.

BBC
 
With just days to go until Gareth Southgate announces his final England squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, James Maddison could hardly have picked a better time to remind the Three Lions boss of his outstanding capabilities.

The 25-year-old continued his fine recent form with an influential display in Leicester's 2-0 win at Everton on Saturday, setting up both goals and going close to getting his name on the scoresheet himself.

"This boy is built for a World Cup," Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers said afterwards. "This boy can go into a 150,000 [capacity] stadium, it doesn't matter."

While Maddison was able to enhance his World Cup prospects, Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin's hopes of a place in Southgate's 26-man ensemble hang in the balance after the striker was forced off with an apparent hamstring injury on the hour-mark.

So does Maddison deserve to go to Qatar? And does this spell the end of Calvert-Lewin's World Cup ambitions?

Maddison was at the heart of all Leicester's best attacking moves at Goodison Park and twice went close to opening the scoring prior to Youri Tielemans' spectacular goal.

Everton needed blocks from James Tarkowski and Idrissa Gueye to deny the former Norwich man in the first half, but it was his cut-back that enabled Tielemans to send a sensational, dipping effort into the top corner on the stroke of half-time.

Maddison rattled the outside of the post in the second half - after sending Dwight McNeil darting off in the wrong direction with a nonchalant drop of the shoulder - before teeing up Harvey Barnes for Leicester's second.

Maddison has now been directly involved in 22 Premier League goals since the start of the year - only Harry Kane (32), Kevin De Bruyne (29) and Son Heung-min (25) have had a hand in more in 2022.

The playmaker's only previous England appearance came as a substitute against Montenegro in November 2019.

Since then, Maddison has seen the likes of Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Mason Mount establish themselves in the Three Lions squad ahead of him.

"It is not a debate for me," Rodgers said when asked if Maddison has done enough to force his way into Southgate's plans.

"He can take the ball, he'll pass the ball, he'll be creative. That's his stage. That's why I keep getting asked questions about him.

"He's one of the best players in the Premier League, who happens to be English. He's such a brilliant guy who has matured."

And how does Maddison himself assess his prospects?

"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't on my mind," he said. "The World Cup is nearly there and that is the pinnacle.

"I always say the same answer. If I focus on my performance for Leicester, hopefully that does catch the eye of the England manager, but that is out of my control."

Former England striker Gary Lineker said on Match of the Day: "It seems extraordinary we are having debate as to whether he makes squad. The debate should be whether he makes the team not the squad."

Ex-Liverpool and Tottenham midfielder Danny Murphy, added: "It's bizarre really. He is a super intelligent player and can play in many positions. If Gareth doesn't choose him it can't be from a football perspective. His football is so good how can he not be in the squad. It is inexplicable."

Speaking to Sky Sports after full-time, former Chelsea and Netherlands striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink described Maddison as a "very gifted player" who "knows where the spaces are" - but says the 25-year-old needs to be given a free role to maximise his capabilities.

"I would take him, but I am not the manager," said the Dutchman. "They have other players like Grealish, [Marcus] Rashford and [Raheem] Sterling - where is he going to find his free role?

Where is he going to express himself the way he does at Leicester?"

Former Arsenal and Everton striker Kevin Campbell, meanwhile, agrees that the Coventry-born player "deserves to go" to Qatar.

"He has proven to be Leicester's star man - game after game after game," he told Sky Sports. "His numbers are better than anyone."

Even before his injury-enforced departure, there was little in Calvert-Lewin's performance to suggest he merits a spot in the plane to Qatar.

The striker, in fairness, was left painfully isolated by his Everton team-mates in a toothless first-half performance from the home side, who were fortunate not to be further behind at half-time.

Calvert-Lewin's best opportunity of the match came just after the restart but he failed to make the most of it, shooting straight at Danny Ward after collecting Alex Iwobi's pass in his stride.

He scored in front of Southgate in Everton's 3-0 win over Crystal Palace last month but that remains his only goal of an injury-hit campaign, with this latest setback leaving his World Cup hopes hanging in the balance.

"I don't know enough about it, but he felt something in his hamstring," Toffees boss Frank Lampard confirmed afterwards.

"We don't feel like it's a bad injury, but we'll have to wait for the scan on Monday."

BBC
 
We think we have everything covered - Southgate

Walker has proved his fitness to Southgate after undergoing groin surgery and not playing in more than a month.

The England boss has also put his faith in Phillips, despite the midfielder having had injury struggles this season. Phillips, who has had surgery on his shoulder, returned to action as a second-half substitute in Manchester City's 2-0 win against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

Rashford has not played for England since the Euro 2020 final defeat by Italy, but the Manchester United forward has scored seven goals in all competitions this season.

Newcastle striker Wilson, who has scored six goals in 10 games this season, joins Tottenham's England captain Harry Kane as the Three Lions' main striker options for the World Cup.

But, like Brentford's Toney and West Ham's Bowen, Roma striker Tammy Abraham has been overlooked.

"We have wanted to make sure we have the balance of the squad right," said Southgate.

"In this day and age squad is more important than ever with five substitutes. You want different options for different moments of matches and different stages of the tournament as well.

"We have had to cover a couple of players who are not fully match fit as well so having 26 players means you can take a couple of risks.

"We think the balance is there. We think we have everything covered."


'A great day but some disappointment'

Southgate says he has spoken to all the players who missed out on a place in the squad to explain the reasons behind his decision.

The 52-year-old has not yet managed to chat to all of those who have been included, but he did inform Maddison of his return to the England XI.

"I spoke to James this morning," he said. "There was a lot of speculation and we decided a couple of weeks ago he would be in the squad.

"I didn't get a chance to speak to Callum. My priority on these days is the difficult and sad news.

"The nature of those conversations reminds you how much it means to a player to go to a World Cup. It's a great day but we've had some disappointment."
 
Southgate has tinkered alot with the squad and sometimes it gives an impression that there is no nucleus in the squad, why don't he sticks with 16-20 players for a couple of years and try to win something, Eng have no real identity often they play 4/3/3 and sometimes a failed attempt at 3/6/1
 
England have to be 'perfect' to beat Spain – Southgate

England will have to be "tactically perfect" to beat Spain in Sunday's Euro 2024 final, manager Gareth Southgate says.

England's men booked their first appearance in a major final on foreign soil with a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands in their semi-final on Wednesday.

It's the third time in the past four major competitions that Southgate has guided England to the semi-final stage of either the Euros or the World Cup.

Southgate says three-time winners Spain are the "favourites" for the final as England's men bid to win their first Euros title.

"They would be rightly favourites for what they have done this tournament. They have been the best team," said Southgate.

“They have got a day longer and in the past three finals, maybe more, it has been quite significant, so we have got to get our recovery spot on.

“Tactically we will have to be perfect as they are such a good side. But, you know, we are here."

England have 'unfinished business'

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice says England's defeat by Italy in the Euro 2020 final will serve as motivation on Sunday.

Italy beat England 3-2 on penalties at Wembley after a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes in London.

"Seeing Italy lift that trophy will haunt me forever," said Rice.

"We are now presented with another opportunity where we can write our own history but we are up against another top side who we have to massively respect.

"Hopefully now we can do it. Not only for each other but also for the manager. I think he deserves it."

Chelsea's Cole Palmer said the side can "finish the job" and change their lives forever by winning in Berlin.

Palmer came off the bench to provide the assist for fellow substitute Ollie Watkins' last-minute winner in Dortmund.

"Everyone's buzzing," the midfielder told the England YouTube channel.

"Last night on the bus, tunes were on, [in the] changing room, everyone was just enjoying it.

"But obviously it's a short turnaround and it's a massive, massive game to change our lives, our family's lives, and to make everyone proud. That's what we're trying to do.

"I think if you've got to this final then you have to hopefully finish the job. It's all good getting to the final, and you've got to enjoy it because you don't get many moments to enjoy. But, no, everyone just wants to win so bad."

Southgate's side have shaken off a slow start to the tournament to reach a second Euros final in as many attempts.

Palmer, who won the European Championship at Under-21 level with England in 2023, feels the Three Lions have found their rhythm.

"In the first few games, we didn't play the best that we could and everyone knew that," added Palmer.

"But now I think as the tournament's gone on, especially yesterday, I think we had our best game in the tournament, and that's what you want going into the later stages.

"It's huge. We played them last year in the Under-21s final, England versus Spain. Even that was a massive game, so I can't imagine this one."

BBC
 
He deserves alot of respect. Ok, he may not be tactically the best, but his man-management skills are brilliant.

He's instilled a vibrant culture amongst the set up, which everyone involved are completely in sink.
 

Airport renames terminal after England manager​


Gatwick Airport has renamed one of its terminals after the England manager Gareth Southgate, who is from Crawley, five miles away, ahead of the Euro 2024 final.

The airport's South Terminal has now been temporarily named with signs visible above shops, saying Welcome to Southgate Terminal.

Good luck messages to the England team, as they play Spain in the final on Sunday, will also be displayed on check-in screens at the airport.

“All at London Gatwick wish Gareth Southgate and the England players the very best of luck for Sunday’s final," said Stewart Wingate, CEO of London Gatwick.

Southgate has led England men's team to their first major football final on foreign soil.

www.bbc.com

Euro 2024: Gatwick Airport renames terminal after Gareth Southgate

Gatwick Airport's South terminal is renamed the Southgate Terminal for Euros final.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
 
Gareth is the most successful England manager in living memory but his teams are boring and inept in attack. But as Napoleon was once purported to have said, I want lucky Generals and he is that.
 
'Southgate inherited a shambles but now stands one game from greatness'

England enter the iconic surroundings of Berlin's Olympiastadion on Sunday night with a place in history the prize that would accompany victory in the Euro 2024 final against Spain.

Gareth Southgate's side must overcome the most impressive side on show in Germany to end a 58-year search for success by the men's team stretching back to the sunlit day on 30 July 1966 when Sir Alf Ramsey's side won the World Cup.

A total of 457 players have represented England since that day - with 436 debutants - and the country has qualified for 20 major tournaments under 11 managers without ever escaping the storyline of disappointment.

Southgate and his players now have the chance to change the narrative forever and there has been a genuine sense of history in the making as England supporters flooded into Berlin, with many making their way to the vast bowl to the west of the city more than 24 hours before kick-off.

England, under Southgate, are in a second successive European Championship final and hoping to erase the bitter memories of their defeat on penalties by Italy at Euro 2020.

That was a desperate occasion on every level, not simply because of the loss, but also because England's hope of emerging from the post-Covid era with a landmark victory was overshadowed by events away from the game.

What could have been a joyous day was scarred by crowd violence, poor organisation, mass disorder at Wembley as well as in London, then the bleak shadow of racist abuse aimed in the direction of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka after they missed in the penalty shootout.

Emotions are in sharp contrast as Euro 2024 draws to its conclusion. There is a rediscovered sense of purpose and unity about Southgate's squad. The fractures with fans, seen in the beer cups and abuse aimed at the manager and players after the draw with Slovenia, have healed.

Yet no senior England football team has won a final on foreign soil. Is this finally the time?

England may be second favourites but the past few days have seen the emergence of a "name on the trophy" feeling of destiny - that the time may have finally arrived when a fresh story of success can be told.

As Southgate, relaxed and smiling on his final media appearance before the match, said: "We have a fabulous opportunity that we set out to achieve from the moment we left [the 2022 World Cup in] Qatar a bit earlier than we would have liked to.

"I'm not a believer in fairytales but I believe in dreams and we have big dreams. If we are not afraid of losing it gives us a better chance to win and I want the players to feel that fearlessness."

Those of us chronicling the years of disappointment have witnessed all manner of reasons why England have had their noses pressed up against the window while other countries, most notably huge underdogs Greece at Euro 2004, have enjoyed success that has agonisingly eluded them.

In major tournament terms, past history makes the Southgate years seem like a golden era, with a World Cup semi-final, the Euro 2020 final, a World Cup quarter-final, and now this final against Spain on his CV.

It is all a far cry from what went before under his predecessors, when high hopes were dashed as England specialised in falling short.

England visibly wilted in the stifling heat of Shizuoka on the south coast of Japan when losing the World Cup quarter-final to Brazil in 2002, not helped by manager Sven-Goran Eriksson continuing to select David Beckham when clearly not fully fit - a pattern he would repeat with similar results.

The Euros in Portugal two years later was a tale of missed opportunity, ill-luck and "Roomania", as 18-year-old Everton phenomenon Wayne Rooney took the global stage by storm.

Rooney's blockbuster display in the opening defeat to France was followed by two-goal performances in wins against Switzerland and Croatia transforming the silent street footballer - no interviews allowed - into a worldwide story.

Hotel bedroom phones would ring in the middle of night with outlets from around the world demanding any piece of precious information about the new young superstar. Having attended the same school as Rooney, De La Salle in Liverpool's Croxteth district, became both a blessing and a curse for me.

Sadly it ended in more quarter-final disappointment, Rooney's broken foot early in the game against hosts Portugal with England leading changed the course of their tournament.

England had a team groaning under the weight of world-class talent but the penalty curse struck again, as did Eriksson’s inability to fashion a balanced midfield out of Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes.

The tournament in Germany two years later was the World Cup of WAGs, those of us based in the beautiful spa town of Baden-Baden often unable to move around for crowds of photographers and the public making it all an unseemly circus, with Ashley Cole's then wife Cheryl, Victoria Beckham and Colleen Rooney garnering as many, if not more, headlines as England's performances.

In another Eriksson Groundhog Day, England went out on penalties to Portugal. A frustrated and not match-fit Rooney - who arrived at the team base having been declared fit after another foot injury with the words "the big man is back in town" - was sent off for stamping on defender Ricardo Carvalho then sent on his way with Cristiano Ronaldo's infamous wink.

But if measured by unrelenting misery, the 2010 World Cup in South Africa may well be the winner.

Fabio Capello led a campaign that mirrored his countenance - grim, austere and discontented, the Italian choosing to base England in a gilded cage at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace outside Rustenburg.

Isolated in the extreme, the monastic strategy inside "Camp Capello" failed in every respect, from Rio Ferdinand's serious knee injury on the first day of training to the undignified sight of England's manager bellowing at a photographer before a training session in the mistaken belief he was taking unauthorised shots.

The unhappiness and boredom blew up in an explosive news conference when John Terry appeared to challenge Capello's authority, even demanding the inclusion of then Chelsea team-mate Joe Cole, and Rooney admitting the day consisted of "breakfast, training, lunch, bed, dinner, bed" before adding: "There are only so many games of darts and snooker you can play."

Terry's complaints about the camp were painted as an attempted coup by someone who was no longer captain but whose words carried merit, even if making them public was described as a "big mistake" by Capello.

It ended with a 4-1 thrashing by Germany in the last 16, England so poor that even Frank Lampard's wrongly disallowed goal could not be used as a fig leaf to disguise a truly rotten tournament.

Whenever the story of Southgate's time in charge is told, it must be within the context of the extended shambles he inherited from Capello, Roy Hodgson and then the "blink and you'll miss it" 67-day reign of Sam Allardyce.

Hodgson's time in charge ended minutes after the humiliation of a last-16 exit to Iceland at Euro 2016 in France - an embarrassment so complete that some members of the media who ran from the press box at the final whistle still did not arrive in time to hear his resignation announcement.

In the final twist of farce, we watched in disbelief as Hodgson had to be persuaded to appear for a final briefing, seemingly believing that as he was no longer England manager he was not expected to explain the events surrounding a mind-numbingly bad performance.

Hodgson entered a room at England's base at Chantilly with the words: "I don’t really know what I'm doing here." After the manner in which England’s campaign was conducted, it was both comedy gold and the perfect epitaph for those few weeks in France.

This was, after the brief Allardyce era, the mess Southgate was required to piece together again, explaining why he deserves respect for what he has accomplished, irrespective of Sunday's outcome.

Southgate has given England credibility and respectability, rehabilitating them as a global force.

Only the win is missing, but now Southgate's England have the chance to finally end the years of hurt in magnificent, iconic surroundings

Victory in Berlin would be Southgate's crowning achievement, putting him alongside Sir Alf in England's managerial Hall Of Fame, his restoration of the prestige of playing for the Three Lions not far behind.

He has led England to a final many expected them to reach, and win, before the start of the tournament but which has taken a treacherous route forcing them to overcome hazards and some self-inflicted wounds before reaching their intended destination.

And so to Berlin, with Southgate and England's players at the gates of history and a game that could shape legacies and change lives forever.

BBC
 
Southgate says 'now not the time' to decide future

England manager Gareth Southgate says "now is not the time" to make a decision on his future.

The Three Lions were beaten 2-1 by Spain in the Euro 2024 final in Berlin on Sunday.

Southgate, 53, has been in charge since 2016 but his current contract is due to expire in December.

Asked about his future, Southgate told the BBC: "Now is not the time for me to speak about that. I need to talk to the right people and give myself a bit of time.

"To get to another final... it was a privilege to have the opportunity. But to come up short is hard at the moment."

Under Southgate, England have reached back-to-back European finals as well as the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and the last eight of the 2022 World Cup.

He faced criticism in Germany this month despite England progressing to the knockout stages as group winners.

Plastic cups were aimed at Southgate by supporters following their 0-0 draw with Slovenia in the group stage.

"The players will take enormous credit for getting us to where we did but when you’re as close as that, you have to take your chance," Southgate told ITV.

"They have represented the shirt with pride and haven’t been beaten until the very end. I just think Spain had more control of the game.

"England are in a really good position in terms of the experience they have. Most of this squad will be around for the next World Cup and maybe the next Euros.

"There’s a lot to look forward to but at this moment, it’s not any consolation."

Southgate admitted it was "hard to reflect" on his eight years in charge but has no doubts England can be successful in future major tournaments.

"Of course to take England to two finals has never been done but we came here to win and we haven’t been able to do that," he added.

"England have some fabulous players. We have been consistently back in the matches that matter. It’s the last step we haven’t been able to do."


www.bbc.com

Gareth Southgate says 'now not the time' to decide his future

England manager Gareth Southgate says now is "not the time" to make a decision on his future.
www.bbc.com
 
England manager Gareth Southgate has resigned two days after defeat by Spain in the 2024 European Championship final

The Three Lions lost 2-1 in Berlin on Sunday - their second consecutive Euros final defeat, having been beaten on penalties by Italy at Wembley three years ago.

Southgate, 53, managed his country for 102 games in eight years in charge. His contract was set to expire later this year.

"As a proud Englishman, it has been the honour of my life to play for England and to manage England," said Southgate.

"It has meant everything to me, and I have given it my all.

"But it's time for change, and for a new chapter."

Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham said the process to appoint Southgate's successor has started and "we aim to have our new manager confirmed as soon as possible".

He added the FA "have an interim solution in place if it is needed" and will not comment further on the process until a new boss is appointed.

England's next match is against the Republic of Ireland in the Nations League on 7 September.

BBC sports editor Dan Roan said FA sources suggested they were "very unlikely to restrict the selection process to just English managers".

Under-21 boss Lee Carsley could be a candidate for an interim solution.

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, former Brighton and Chelsea boss Graham Potter, and ex-Chelsea and Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino are among the early favourites. There is also some speculation around ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel, who left Bayern Munich at the end of last season.

Who will be next England manager?

Source: BBC
 
I am surprised Southgate lasted this long. I thought he would be gone after 2022 World Cup.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

The Bald Eagle
  • Poll
[VIDEOS] Lee Carsley has been confirmed as England's new manager on an interim basis [Post Updated #20]
Replies
21
Views
536
The Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle
James
  • Poll
Should Gareth Southgate stay on as Head Coach of the England team after their World Cup exit?
Replies
48
Views
2K
BouncerGuy
B
FearlessRoar
  • Poll
UK General Elections (2024) - Labour wins landslide victory (Update at Post#92)
2
Replies
145
Views
2K
DeadlyVenom
D
MenInG
Is it coming home? England's long wait for titles continues...
2
Replies
156
Views
7K
MenInG
MenInG
mominsaigol
Pakistan vs Bangladesh Test Series (2024): Player Performance Review
Replies
2
Views
150
mominsaigol
mominsaigol
Back
Top