The end of the group stage for England also looked and sounded like the end-game for Gareth Southgate.
The fans, loyal for so long, are turning. It’s never a pleasant moment when a weakened manager endures the wrath of the supporters, especially somebody as essentially decent as Southgate, but the love affair is long finished. He’s losing the fans and now has to make sure he doesn’t lose the players.
Whatever his flaws as a manager, and I’ve been mentioning them ever since extra time against Croatia in 2018, and particularly the second half against Italy at Euro 2020, Southgate deserves gratitude for bringing hope back to England. His contract expires in December and it would be sad if his final moments in charge were accompanied by increasing abuse.
Some of the chants heard about Southgate during the draw with Slovenia here are demeaning. He’s a proud, principled man, a real patriot, and he will be suffering now that the fans have turned on him. A couple of plastic cups were thrown at him as he went over to applaud the remaining supporters after the wretched stalemate against Slovenia. Southgate was also jeered.
“It has taken me back to days when I was playing with England,” Southgate said. But those days were far worse. His first manager, Terry Venables, suffered relentless negative coverage from some newspapers and even had his head mocked up in a noose. The players were absolutely slaughtered for assorted shenanigans on tour in Hong Kong before Euro 96. Southgate sensibly stayed in.
He himself endured horrendous abuse for missing the penalty that saw England knocked out of Euro 96. He received one splenetic letter from a prisoner who blamed Southgate for his incarceration. Apparently, he’d responded to Southgate’s penalty miss to Germany by rushing out and damaging a German car.
Glenn Hoddle succeeded Venables and criticism was never far away, similarly when Southgate played under Kevin Keegan. England fans were rioting in those days, and now they are come out singing rather than swinging. He saw close-up how Keegan was pained by the fans’ fury following defeat to Germany at Wembley in 2000. Keegan had started Southgate in midfield, a failed move, and both manager and player were vilified.
Southgate then played under Sven-Goran Eriksson, who was targeted by the Little Englanders on his arrival. In 2003, Southgate used his London Evening Standard column to defend himself for turning down a trip to see Nelson Mandela while England were on tour in South Africa. “To suggest there was any snub from the players who did not attend is simply pathetic,” Southgate wrote. He explained that he had slept little on the flight from Heathrow and wanted to be in best possible shape for the following day’s friendly against South Africa in Durban. Even when Southgate had a sleep, there were accusing headlines in those days.
Social media has made reaction to results and performances more toxic but there was still a ferocious tabloid war back when Southgate played with England. For all his desire to put a brave face on the criticism, Southgate is clearly concerned and wanting to shield the players. He cannot afford to lose them.
“It is so important they (the fans) stay with the team, whatever they feel towards me,” Southgate said “I get it. I’ve been around England for 20 years (29). My job is to guide the team through this and get the very best out of the team. I am happy with the way they have handled the last few days in particular.”
Southgate being Southgate, he still went over to salute the supporters, even though he knew he might get a hostile reception from certain quarters. He wanted to send a message to his players. “I recognise that when you have moments at the end of the game and I’m asking the players to be fearless, I’m not going to back down from going over and thank the fans who were brilliant during the game. They might feel differently towards me. But for me, we only will succeed if we are together. That energy is crucial for the team.”
That unity between dressing-room, dug-out and stands was one of the features of the Southgate era. A fractured relationship is so unhealthy. So why did he feel some had turned. “Probably expectation,” he replied. “Over the last six or seven years we’ve made England fun again. I think it’s been enjoyable for the players. I think we have to be very, very careful that it stays that way.” That sounded almost a warning to the fans, or certainly to the media to be balanced and fair to the players.
He said he could “understand” the fans’ reaction. England have only two wins in eight. They have a wealth of talent which is now under-performing under him. The fans’ frustration spills over into rage. “I understand it. I’m not going to back away from it. The most important thing here is the supporters stay with the team. I understand the narrative towards me. That’s better for the team than it being towards them but it’s creating an unusual environment to operate in. I have not seen any other team qualify and receive similar.”
Yet no other team arrived with such high expectations but then limped into the knockout stage. Southgate moved again to shield his players. “I am very, very proud of the players, they kept composure in a game where they have come into it on the back of a really challenging environment.”
But how challenging? England fans were terrific in their support before the game. The criticism, emanating from the media and former players, has all been football-related rather than some of the denunciations in the past pertaining to everything from relationships to refuelling.
And so with Ronald Koeman looming large on the horizon, an England manager’s job is under threat again.
With a 66.6% likelihood of England playing Koeman’s Dutch side in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday, Koeman the English bogeyman marches on to the scene again. Short of reprising Rotterdam 1993, dragging David Platt over again and flipping a free-kick past David Seaman to send Graham Taylor into orbit, Koeman could not resemble a bigger barrier to England and to Southgate. It feels that the fans have turned, that the love affair is over and even if England progress, the marriage is broken.
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News Summary:
- Henry Winter: Gareth Southgate love affair with England is over… this looks like the end-game
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