Gareth Southgate leaves England with his head held high but ultimately having fallen short as manager, writes Phil McNulty.
Gareth Southgate leaves England with a managerial record of played 102, won 61, drawn 24, lost 17 - a 59.8% win rateGareth Southgate’s eight years as England manager will be judged as an age of progress in many areas, but ultimately one of falling agonisingly short when it came to claiming the big prizes.with a better record than anyone in the job since 1966 World Cup winner Sir Alf Ramsey, deserving total respect for the manner in which he handled the unique pressures of being England manager.
It may be a harsh judgement to regard Southgate as a nearly England manager leading a nearly England team, but that running theme of close, but not close enough leaves him open to those charges.
Southgate was the subject of a successful West End production Dear England, the title taken from an open letter he wrote to England’s fans before Euro 2020. A post-Germanywill not have the happy ending writer James Graham hoped for, as Southgate’s England could not deliver the winning storyline against Spain.
A mature and civilised personality who rarely lost his composure and was at ease under the fierce scrutiny accompanying his status, England’s new manager quickly embarked on a period of culture change. England’s players felt the weight of the shirt, so often referred to as an impossible burden by Capello, lifted. They were happy to represent their country again.
For a manager incorrectly tagged as “too nice” to take tough decisions, Southgate never shied away. It was seen when Sterling’s international career was brought to an abrupt close after the 2022 World Cup, then when Ben Chilwell, Jack Grealish, Jordan Henderson and James Maddison were cut from the Euro 2024 squad.
The unlikely nature of England’s campaign made Southgate and his squad hugely popular, the manager’s trademark waistcoat transforming him into something of a fashion icon.Southgate dropped England captain Wayne Rooney in his second game in charge, giving him 17 minutes off the bench in a 0-0 draw in Slovenia
England allowed matters to drift - Southgate waiting until extra time to introduce Grealish - then the later stages to bring on Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford, who barely had any time to get attuned to the occasion, then missing penalties in the shootout England lost.with ugly scenes inside and outside Wembley.
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