Gareth Southgate

Would be happy with Graham Potter or Lee Carsley, for different reasons.

Fair play to Southgate for doing the right thing. He knows he's taken the England team as far as he can. A couple of big missed opportunities to get a trophy - plus some fucking turgid football - have to be held against him but he's definitely left the England side in a better place than he found it.

Despite my issues with him, I think he deserves to be remembered positively, if only for overseeing the period when the country actually got behind the team again. Obviously everyone wanted the team to win during the McClaren, Capello, Hodgson years but I don't feel the country was actually behind the lads? Things were bitter for sure.

But that 2018 World Cup really got the country back into the England team. I think he actually overachieved a bit with the squad he had and having little tactical things to pay attention to, like the Love Train on corners, made it fun to watch. They were eventually beaten by a better side but it felt like the first promising tournament since 1996.

After preferring Euro 2008 for England's absence, I didn't really support England over the next few tournaments. I didn't care when Germany battered them in 2010, I honestly laughed when Italy knocked them out in 2012, and I genuinely can't remember watching their games in the 2014 World Cup, except that 2-1 loss to Uruguay.

But I was in a pub in Media City watching that opening Tunisia game in 2018 and I actually cheered Kane's goal at the end of that game. I don't know what came over me. Since then, parts of the team's progress have genuinely felt a bit exciting under Southgate. For all his faults as a tactician he's a great vibes guy.

And, at the very least, his tenure has finally put the bed the endless mythologising and navel-gazing surrounding Italia 90 and Euro 96, or Beckham's free-kick against Greece. We actually have other moments to dine out on now, like the entire Euros in 2020, Bellingham's overhead, or Watkins' goal against the Netherlands.

I think the time to go was after the Euros in 2021 because he lost that final. But after that 4-0 defeat to Hungary I expected a lot worse than a World Cup QF and being beaten finalists at the next Euros. The football has gotten worse but the atmosphere has stayed consistent. Deserves a nice send off after the Finland game.
 
BlueHammer85 said:
I promise you the exact same points will be thrown at every single manager we get.

Every squad selection is met with outrage and 'picking his favorites' , Every formation is criticized, the line up is criticized, the subs are criticized.
Nothing is going to change with the perception England fans have of the manager, whoever it is.

The fact that fans think 9 times out of 10 we should easily be beating likes of Switzerland and Holland is the problem for me.
Click to expand...
let me ask you a question would you like to see southgate in charge at west ham
 
Coljj said:
Forcing Kane to retire would be a good start. He turns 31 in 2 weeks and can only imagine how Sloth like he will be in 2026.
Click to expand...
Thank the lord for that greedy twat Levy :-) He could of been one of our own.

What about Bobby Manc for the gig ?
 
It's the right time for him to go.

He's got a lot of things right over the past few years especially in terms of the team dynamics, making international duty fun for the players again and getting rid of the old cliques. But some of the rumours coming out of the camp this year suggest there's been rifts he couldn't heal this time around.

We've had some good times and got far into some tournaments. Unfortunately for Southgate, I think the fans want to see expansive, entertaining football, and will only accept defensive pragmatism in the long term if it brings trophies. He's fallen just short of bringing home the silverware that would make everyone forget the style of play.

All in all, I think he can leave with his head held high. The international team is in a much better place now than it was when he took over, both in terms of winning matches and the relationship with the fans.

Now is time to find a successor. Let's see how ambitious the FA are (they can't have Pep though).

Potter's stock has fallen in recent years but I think he'd be a decent appointment. He has experience bringing through young players and establishing a playing style, which is probably what the England team needs.

There's a part of me that wants to go the high-entertainment route though, try and get someone like a Mourinho in to whip them into shape, lead them to a trophy then leave in a whirlwind of bad blood and recriminations.
 
youngbob said:
Would be happy with Graham Potter or Lee Carsley, for different reasons.

Fair play to Southgate for doing the right thing. He knows he's taken the England team as far as he can. A couple of big missed opportunities to get a trophy - plus some fucking turgid football - have to be held against him but he's definitely left the England side in a better place than he found it.

Despite my issues with him, I think he deserves to be remembered positively, if only for overseeing the period when the country actually got behind the team again. Obviously everyone wanted the team to win during the McClaren, Capello, Hodgson years but I don't feel the country was actually behind the lads? Things were bitter for sure.

But that 2018 World Cup really got the country back into the England team. I think he actually overachieved a bit with the squad he had and having little tactical things to pay attention to, like the Love Train on corners, made it fun to watch. They were eventually beaten by a better side but it felt like the first promising tournament since 1996.

After preferring Euro 2008 for England's absence, I didn't really support England over the next few tournaments. I didn't care when Germany battered them in 2010, I honestly laughed when Italy knocked them out in 2012, and I genuinely can't remember watching their games in the 2014 World Cup, except that 2-1 loss to Uruguay.

But I was in a pub in Media City watching that opening Tunisia game in 2018 and I actually cheered Kane's goal at the end of that game. I don't know what came over me. Since then, parts of the team's progress have genuinely felt a bit exciting under Southgate. For all his faults as a tactician he's a great vibes guy.

I think the time to go was after the Euros in 2021 because he lost that final. But after that 4-0 defeat to Hungary I expected a lot worse than a World Cup QF and being beaten finalists at the next Euros. The football has gotten worse but the atmosphere has stayed consistent. Deserves a nice send off after the Finland game.
Click to expand...
he may have done the right thing - just years too fkn late
 
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