Gareth Southgate confirmed as new England manager
Brave new dawn or will the sun set on our hopes yet again? As England unveiled Gareth Southgate as their fifth permanent manager in the last ten years, most England fans are probably a tad jaded with the cycle of tournament failures, new appointments and the FA’s management in general.
I’ve covered England’s recent history of failure previously, so if possible, let’s put that to one side for a moment. We have a new guy in charge, we are starting over again, clean slate. So what can we look forward to? For a start it’s unlikely Southgate will be caught flogging his services as a “keynote speaker” to a table full of complete strangers, whilst simultaneously advising them how to circumnavigate third-party transfer rules. Yes, thanks for that Sam, nice one. Next manager, please…
Who were Southgate’s rivals for the job? Well, any manager in the Premier League who was English, apparently. Quite how Alan Pardew was seen as a serious candidate merely sums up the folly of wanting an English manager of the England team, purely for the sake of it.
Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger got a few people excited, responding in positive fashion when questioned on his candidacy for the job, although only at some point in the future when no longer under contract at Arsenal, he inferred. Many interpreted this as simply a mischievous soundbite, rather than genuine enthusiasm, filing it firmly in the “no chance” folder.
Considered by everyone to be a thoroughly decent person, Southgate will have no issues articulating his views to everybody and getting his demands across to his players. Communication will be clear, concise and measured. He doesn’t do hyperbole.
But let’s cut to the chase – what are our chances of doing well in a tournament anytime soon? The past gives us little to be optimistic about. When Baddiel and Skinner wrote “Three Lions”, they sang of 30 years of hurt. Sadly that’s now 50 years. That’s half a century of failure. This is the size of Southgate’s task – not a job for the faint-hearted.
In some ways, it’s perhaps more relevant not to focus our views on England alone, because there is a bigger picture here. Is it not solely England’s decline in recent decades, but also how much the rest of the footballing world has improved, adapted and delivered? Preparation, technical skills, conditioning, mental strength…we’ve been playing catch-up for far too long. This will be Southgate’s first task – to make up ground on those nations who have overtaken us both on the pitch and in the FIFA world rankings.
But Southgate can only work with the raw materials at his disposal, of course. His squads during his caretaker role have been very similar to the squads of Roy Hodgson & Sam Allardyce. We are not overly-blessed with a glut of young players forcing their way in right now, although the recent form of the England Under-21 side – previously managed by Southgate, and latterly by Aidy Boothroyd as caretaker – has been impressive.
Perhaps, by virtue of his knowledge of the Under-21 crop, Southgate may promote some of these players to the senior side earlier than his predecessors may have done. It would certainly be interesting to see how they fare, should Southgate deem them ready.
Ultimately, many see England’s biggest failings as mental strength under pressure, the weight of expectation on their shoulders and a chronic inability to transfer good club form to the national team. Inhibited, fearful and flaky – no wonder we’ve played so poorly when it matters for so long.
Although Southgate may not be the most exciting of choices to some, it was probably the most logical, with his England Under-21 experience and a reasonably successful caretaker period with the seniors, coupled with a dearth of alternatives whether at home or abroad. With this appointment – on a four-year contract, with no break clause – it would appear there is no longer any chance of Wenger ever taking the role, even if he were genuinely interested in it. A pity, perhaps – in many ways that would have been an intriguing selection.
One wishes Southgate the best of luck, and maybe, just maybe, this might be a better era for England. Southgate is dedicated, ambitious and will work tirelessly in the role. But does he have the quality and ability to really turn England’s fortunes around? There is a nagging thought that he remains a safe, predictable choice, whose Club managerial career with Middlesbrough didn’t include anything special or any trophies. In Southgate’s plus column, however, winning the Toulon international tournament earlier this year with the Under 21’s was impressive.
So it’s done, the nation moves on, and once more we hope for better things to come from England. Hope is all it can be, realistically. Expectation is still a long, long, way off yet. The very best of luck to you, Gareth.
By Chris Tribe
30th November 2016
Next game: Germany (A) – International Friendly – Wednesday 22nd March 2017, 7.45pm
Photo credit: Ruebentg/Wikipedia
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