16 Jul 2024 11:18:00
So Southgate had resigned. He deserves thanks for the way he has made England a team which is no longer the laughing stock it was and for being a real gentleman with good moral compass.
That said I really hope ETH excels now because otherwise I can see Southgate being installed by Xmas and I just don't think he is good enough at the highest level.
16 Jul 2024 12:39:11
I think Southgate is suited to international management. We have seen his limitations in terms of tactics and selection, but let's not underestimate what he has achieved with England.
Not necessarily this time, Spain were the best team in the competition, but the Italy and Croatia games could have gone either way. Yes, we can blame Southgate for not winning those games, but 2 semis and a final is an amazing record compared to all his big name predecessors.
16 Jul 2024 15:59:14
A final? surely 2 finals.
16 Jul 2024 16:14:44
As Alternative MUFC put it in one of his comms, if Southgate comes anywhere near us i will go full Roy Keane on him.
16 Jul 2024 16:30:08
Considering the mess that he walked into when he first took over there is no doubt that he has been a successful England manager (unless we are being black and white and only a trophy is success) .
He has pulled the players together and over achieved in previous tournaments. We should thank him for what he has done, the most successful manager since Sir Alf Ramsey.
Was the football exhilerating - no, should he have done more with the current crop - possibly. But across the whole tenure he has been a success.
Now they need to pick a more modern, attack minded coach to take us onto the next tournament.
16 Jul 2024 18:23:51
Or you might argue that he has had the most talented squad in years and wasted two wonderful chances to win a trophy.
16 Jul 2024 18:31:11
Yes, my bad, 2 finals, salford, there's the debate right there. But Erikson and Capello did worse with talented squads, so you say potato.
16 Jul 2024 18:31:18
I disagree that he has overachieved. Man for man, we had by far the strongest squad at the Euros, yet were lucky to make it to the final and were well beaten once we got there. When it’s mattered most, the only team of note we’ve been able to beat has been the Netherlands. In every other tournament under Southgate, we’ve been beaten the moment we came up against a half decent team and have done so playing some of the most negative football I’ve seen in my life.
England has been successful (if you can even call it that) at the last few tournaments in spite of Gareth Southgate; not because of him.
16 Jul 2024 18:53:04
I think Southgate has been excellent for England, but his time has come to a natural end.
I’d like to see him stay I involved in our set up as he’s been fantastic for our game.
Potter for me is the obvious choice - an excellent coach and tactician for this squad.
16 Jul 2024 19:16:45
Thing with Southgate is that he didn’t learn. Three years ago Italy, go one nil up and sit back fail to press our advantage. Spain, equalise, on the attack, have the momentum and then we send a throw in from level with their six yard line back to the half way, then back to our keeper who then boots it out. Negative mind set. What might have been with Southgate will never be known. Great managers like SAF roll the dice, take a chance go for the win. Southgate didn’t dare lose. We keep missing out because in one way or another the manager hasn’t been good enough., Southgate was diminished by his inability to go for it. Sunday was a totally clear example of that. Yet again a favourable draw all the way to the final, thrown away because the manager was too afraid.
Yes two finals and a semi, well done but we didn’t win when it mattered. Yes took us from serial failures at Quarter final to getting further with some of the best talent but still losing. We now have a more unified squad, better media profile but no one thought to tell Southgate he should be more positive and his bosses at the FA are accountable for that.
Southgate must never be manager of United, ever.
16 Jul 2024 19:33:00
Ajh, he had some run of fixtures though. never beat a team that he shouldn't have beaten, or one of the top teams in international football.
The managers you mention, with the talented squads, lost to better teams, that's it.
17 Jul 2024 08:12:31
R7, I think it's a stretch to say we had "by far the strongest squad". One of the strongest, absolutely, but Spain at least have just as strong a squad, and I'd say a couple of other countries are at least close.
Other than that, I completely agree, but let's not exagerate. Honestly, there's no need to exagerate, it's clear enough that with the squad we had, barely scrapping past several teams we should have beaten comfortably, and looking bad while doing it, is not good enough.
Frankly, the narrow loss to Spain was probably the only part of the tournament I'm NOT concerned by, as they are a good enough team that I think a loss there is undstandable.
17 Jul 2024 15:47:28
Southgate and England fell into that same trap that they always do. They tried to crowbar the biggest names into a starting 11.
It's an individualistic approach where you are relying on individual players to do something magical to win you the game.
What this doesn't factor into account though is that the team around those individuals needs to be functional to create the space and opportunities for a player to do something special.
Spain were the best team in the tournament not because they had the best 11 players, but because they played as a team.
Grimaldo for example is a much better player than Cucurella at LB. Yet Grimaldo's style of play didn't suit the team, and Cucurella was a much better fit.
While in the second half against England in the final Spain took off Rodri despite him being the best CDM in the world and replaced him with technically inferior player in Zubimendi, however the latters passing is far more incisive which lead to there first goal.
Decisions made about what is best for the team and not the name of the player on the back of the shirt.