[Football] Gareth Southgate: 90 minutes to save his job?

[JBizzle]

He's not going anywhere. This country's approach to international football in insane.

Draw 0-0 with Scotland and we're booing the side? Nonsense. Calling for Southgate to be binned off after 7 points from 9 and topping the group? Nonsense. We're doing ok, we've not conceded for hours, and we do look dangerous when we break at pace. No we don't look like France (who drew with Hungary) or Italy (who haven't played anyone decent). We look like England: A decent, middling nation who's fans expectations WAY exceed reality.

Here's an idea, how about we just back the team through the tournament and leave the hysteria for after?

 

[Washie]

I remember at the world cup, France were absolutely awful and just defended. Everyone thought France was shit until the final. Now everyone expects them to win every game. Tournaments are won off of defensive tactics, not offensive.

 

[Icy Gull]

I don't see going out in the next round being the issue as in many ways it is be expected - or at least shouldn't be a surprise.

I guess what I am saying is have the performances in the group games bought him sufficient insurance if we crash in R16? If we had played with a little more ambition and swagger then he's got Fully Comprehensive cover. As it is, stinking out Wembley three times in a row leaves him with Third Party, Fire and Theft at best.

Have you only recently started watching England?

Last tournament aside we normally stink out the group games before inevitable failure in the knock out stages. Not sure many managers have been sacked for that. Qualifying from the group, that’s the basic target reached isn’t it? Anything else is a bonus, stop being so greedy,

 

[Sid in the Sharknado]

I remember at the world cup, France were absolutely awful and just defended. Everyone thought France was shit until the final. Now everyone expects them to win every game. Tournaments are won off of defensive tactics, not offensive.

That describes most tournament wiinning teams. I was some way from being born at the time, but my understanding is that even when we won the World Cup in '66 most people spent the whole time moaning that we played terribly and that players like Stiles shouldn't be in the team.

I expect we'll lose to France, for example, but that's because they have better players in key positions rather than because we're not exciting enough.

 

[Randy McNob]

He's not going anywhere. This country's approach to international football in insane.

Draw 0-0 with Scotland and we're booing the side? Nonsense. Calling for Southgate to be binned off after 7 points from 9 and topping the group? Nonsense. We're doing ok, we've not conceded for hours, and we do look dangerous when we break at pace. No we don't look like France (who drew with Hungary) or Italy (who haven't played anyone decent). We look like England: A decent, middling nation who's fans expectations WAY exceed reality.

Here's an idea, how about we just back the team through the tournament and leave the hysteria for after?

Exactly, judge our performace afterwards. People doing the post-mortem while we are still progressing is absurd

 

[Swansman]

Unless you get completely stomped I dont think there is any chance he will get sacked. 99% likely to coach England in Qatar next year.

 

[DumLum]

Unless we get absolutely humiliated on Tuesday, he's not going anywhere. We have the World Cup next year and I doubt there is another English manager out there who would both want the job and do a better job.

I can think of one without even venturing outside the BN postcode!

 

[Albion my Albion]

The English FA haven’t succeeded in appointing a successful manager in 55 (fifty five) years. They’ve tried English, Italian, Swedish, wide boys, dullards, smooth types, all types....all with the same outcome.

Do you know there are 31 (thirty one) words in your post? Unless you don't count "FA" as a word. Then there are 30 (thirty) words in your post.

 

[DumLum]

If he doesn't play Grealish in the next round and loses the public and pundits won't back him

 

[Brovion]

That describes most tournament wiinning teams. I was some way from being born at the time, but my understanding is that even when we won the World Cup in '66 most people spent the whole time moaning that we played terribly and that players like Stiles shouldn't be in the team.

....

Certainly that was the case after the first game (I was around). It was the opening game of the tournament and was a 0-0 draw with Uruguay. It was called the 'scoreless shocker' and Ramsey and the team were lambasted by everybody. However England then beat Mexico 2-0 in the next game (with the screamer by Bobby Charlton), the mood changed immediately and England won every other game.

Stiles should have been sent off and banned for his tackle on Simon in the French game, and people did moan about selections, and but isn't that always the case? Certainly leaving out Jimmy Greaves for Geoff Hurst caused discussions. From memory Hurst had only made his debut in March 1966 and the final was only his 7th or 8th cap. Greaves was a goal-scoring legend.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

I've next to no interest in England, so here are my objective thoughts. Surely topping the group is an achievement, whichever way you look at it? I'm assuming that was the objective going in to the competition and keeping clean sheets I guess is a bonus?

I am also pretty sure that even if England scraped 1-0 wins all the way through the competition and lifted the trophy, a vast majority of fans would be creaming themselves and lording it over fans of other nations for eternity.

I saw fans calling for Southgate to go after the Scotland match, which is ridiculous, given that it's a lot down to the players on the pitch. Players who were probably backed to 'go all the way' by some of the fans who called for the manager's head.

I'm guessing that it's all irrelevant though, as I'm guessing England will get knocked out by one of the 'big boys' at some point, GSouth keeps his job and we're all back to worrying about the PL...

 

[Albion my Albion]

If he doesn't play Grealish in the next round and loses the public and pundits won't back him

Because pundit support is so critically important for national team managers.

 

[dazzer6666]

We all know exactly how this is going to play out. A pisspoor performance in either the next round (or the one after that after somehow scraping a lucky result), then the FA come out in praise of Southgate for a 'successful Euros campaign, navigating the group phase before losing narrowly to a very good German/Portuguese/Italian/French side blah blah fvcking blah...............................' and we trundle on to Qatar. Rinse and repeat.

 

[Bry Nylon]

I've next to no interest in England, so here are my objective thoughts. Surely topping the group is an achievement, whichever way you look at it? I'm assuming that was the objective going in to the competition and keeping clean sheets I guess is a bonus?

I am also pretty sure that even if England scraped 1-0 wins all the way through the competition and lifted the trophy, a vast majority of fans would be creaming themselves and lording it over fans of other nations for eternity.

I saw fans calling for Southgate to go after the Scotland match, which is ridiculous, given that it's a lot down to the players on the pitch. Players who were probably backed to 'go all the way' by some of the fans who called for the manager's head.

I'm guessing that it's all irrelevant though, as I'm guessing England will get knocked out by one of the 'big boys' at some point, GSouth keeps his job and we're all back to worrying about the PL...

Probably sums up my broad position. I've very little emotional investment in the England side. I enjoy it when we progress through a tournament as I'll always watch the games but once we go out I'm over it within minutes. I've yet to find a tournament defeat leads to me ripping the bonnet badge off neighbour's my BMW or pissing over the windscreen of the Renault Scenic down the road but maybe this is the year?

 

[big nuts]

I remember at the world cup, France were absolutely awful and just defended. Everyone thought France was shit until the final. Now everyone expects them to win every game. Tournaments are won off of defensive tactics, not offensive.

They weren’t great in the group stage but beat Argentina 4-3 in the 2nd round and from there tended to be the most impressive team.

I wouldn’t say they were shit until the final.

 

[Albion my Albion]

Probably sums up my broad position. I've very little emotional investment in the England side. I enjoy it when we progress through a tournament as I'll always watch the games but once we go out I'm over it within minutes. I've yet to find a tournament defeat leads to me ripping the bonnet badge off neighbour's my BMW or pissing over the windscreen of the Renault Scenic down the road but maybe this is the year?

I would support your ripping the bonnet badge off your neighbour's BMW or pissing over the windscreen of the Renault Scenic down the road if England stumbles to a 2-0 defeat to 'one of the big boys' in this Euro 2020.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

I agree. In the Southgate years we haven't beaten ANYONE good when it really mattered. He's done a great job on the mentality of the players and has rejuvenated international football with the fans in this country, which is brilliant, and exactly what was needed. We were fun in 2018 but we played 3 games against good opposition and lost them all.

I'm really glad we won the group, because limping through to the quarters or semis with an easy draw would have just papered over the cracks. Shit is about to get real now, so it's time we find out if we have actually made any genuine progress or not. If we lose to Germany / Portugal / France in the 2nd Round then I think it's fair to say there has been no progression since 2018, and it's time for Southgate to go. If we win this game, even if we then go out in the quarters, I think he can claim some kind of progression, and should therefore get another chance.

Since Southgate became manager we've beaten Spain, Croatia, Netherlands and Belgium, lost to Spain, Croatia, Netherlands and Belgium, and drawn with Italy. That's all the 'good teams' we've played. Meanwhile semi finals of world cup, semis of nations league, and no goals conceded in euros group stage.

In not a massive fan but I don't think changing again helps anyone, his record on paper is good for a young developing side. A defensive team with skill on the break can win these tournaments.

Next game will be very hard whoever we play, I'd rather go into this to enjoy the game as an England fan and hope for a win, without having the added baggage of 'Must win or Southgate sacked'. Its really not necessary, and to be honest I think anyone who is saying that has already decided they want Southgate gone.

My Villa-supporting mate, a proper diehard Villa fan, can't stand Southgate (I was surprised too). Just another Bruce he says. He wants Potter to be England manager, thinks he's the best English coach around. I can see where he's coming from with Southgate, but I'd like to hold on to Potter a while yet

 

[Springal]

Is national team coach Potters MO? He seems big on building relationships with players etc - is he the kind of coach that can get a group of players together for 7-8 days, training get 2 games played and then not see them for a few months?

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

It's just so frustrating seeing so many talented, young players play in a system which is so unbelievably dull to watch.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Probably sums up my broad position. I've very little emotional investment in the England side. I enjoy it when we progress through a tournament as I'll always watch the games but once we go out I'm over it within minutes. I've yet to find a tournament defeat leads to me ripping the bonnet badge off neighbour's my BMW or pissing over the windscreen of the Renault Scenic down the road but maybe this is the year?

Group F is wide open, you’ll also need to consider smashing up your local Nandos and snapping a biro in half.