[Football] To all the Southgate haters / wrong again and again and again **SOUTHGATE NOW RESIGNED**

[rippleman]

I would argue that the reason Williams has looked better in this tournament is because the Spanish manager has set them up to play free flowing attacking football and has utilised his players in their best positions and playing to their strengths. Foden on the other hand was shunted out to the left for much the tournament and playing a style of football that would have been completely alien to him based on what he's used to at Man City.

This.

We have the talent in our squad to play expansive free-flowing football, like Spain, but the manager stifles players like Foden, Saka, Bellingham, Palmer, Watkins et al. First half yesterday we played some scintillating stuff. Foden had decided being stuck out on the left wing with a right back behind him wasn't for him. He was different class playing the free role which he does so well for City. It was like the skilfull, talented pacy players had just decided to play around the lumbering, static Kane.

No idea what Southgate said at HT but second half we reverted to type. We were slow, ponderous and negative.

We have the players. Replace Kane (which I know he never will) with a striker who can adapt to the pace of our talented attacking players and play like we did first half last night and I give us a chance against Spain. Anything less and I fear for us.

 

[nicko31]

You can't argue with it he is head and shoulders above anyone since Sir Alf.

Very consistent since 2016, its not always pretty but he gets results and has the respect of the players.

There are other big teams that in recent times haven't even qualified for tournaments.

 

[Albion in the north]

Good bloke and man manager, very limited football coach.

BUT, a lot of people say it’s better to be lucky than good and he does certainly have luck on his side.

It goes against all tactical sensibilities but his record as England manager is great and on a human level, I’m really pleased for him to have this relative success as he is a decent bloke and after the Euro 96 missed penalty, he got a lot of ridiculously unfair shit.

Still think we could be a lot better and have won something already with a more tactically astute manager but there aren’t many of them who want to work in international football.

Good luck to him in the final.

Sums it up for me.

 

[Randy McNob]

I do think the guy is a tournaments manager. And a bloody good one at that. However, he's largely a rubbish tactician which is where we'll probably get butchered by the Spanish midfield on Sunday. England don't have many real tacticians which is why I can't get angry about him, I think he's done well despite his limitations.

I'm pleased for him though, great guy, hope he can bow out a winner at the weekend.

what people don't consider is Spanish players play their natural way like they do in la liga whereas prem football is very different to international football so they have play a different way that they are used to

 

[HeaviestTed]

In honour of his place of birth (Crawley) they should name an area of Crawley after him, rename northgate to Southgate I recon.

 

[nicko31]

In honour of his place of birth (Crawley) they should name an area of Crawley after him, rename northgate to Southgate I recon.

Of course Crawley already has a Southgate, but he was actually from Pound Hill

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

2 finals and one semi How does that work?

Let's put it another way, the previous 14 managers combined reached 3 tournament semi finals, Gareth Southgate has reached 3 tournament semi finals

 

[Seaview Seagull]

I don't think Gareth Southgate is a tactical genius but he certainly got it right yesterday. That said some of the personal abuse he has had on NSC is disgraceful and should be called out. No other England Manager since Alf Ramsey (and I watched that final) has got the team to a final so let's stop pretending he isn't a good manager. In the end only one team can win a tournament - does that mean all the other managers are failures?

 

[Randy McNob]

At least I am consistent in my criticism, I thought Capello and Sven were underachieving managers too and most games I didn’t much enjoy either.

so whats your point then ? You don't like England whether achieve or underacheive

 

[Randy McNob]

I agree with you, I'd been saying since 2002 that Sven was a fraud. However that doesn't make Southgate a great, he isn't, he is slow to react to changes the oppo make in game, last night another example, he's taken 5 games to work out how to best use Foden, it took a suspension to Geuhi to move Trippier from LB otherwise he wouldn't have done it, a wonder goal kept us in this tournament. To be fair he has taken Kane off in the last 2 games, Kane has stunk the place out, but he's captain so that wasn't easy for GS to do.

He is a 'lucky' manager, but so was Ramsey with Greaves's injury in 66, if it means England winning a trophy then I'd take it!!!!

Scoring in the last few minutes shows good fitness and battling to the end. When Man U did it they called it Fergie time, not that he was lucky. Cos his teams persevered and kept going to the last seconds, fighting to win

 

[Randy McNob]

I don't think Gareth Southgate is a tactical genius but he certainly got it right yesterday. That said some of the personal abuse he has had on NSC is disgraceful and should be called out. No other England Manager since Alf Ramsey (and I watched that final) has got the team to a final so let's stop pretending he isn't a good manager. In the end only one team can win a tournament - does that mean all the other managers are failures?

he isn't a tactical genius - no one ever said he was, but he understands International football where his predecessors didn't

 

[Baldseagull]

Of course Crawley already has a Southgate, but he was actually from Pound Hill

Also, born in Watford, grew up in Crawley.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

We've underperformed considering the players we've got right through this tournament. I've been horrified at the turgid displays i've had to endure

But the job of the manager is to get results.

SF
F
QF
F

is astonishing consistency. He will go down as our second greatest manager if we lose at the weekend as has a strong claim to be the best if we somehow win

 

[HeaviestTed]

Of course Crawley already has a Southgate, but he was actually from Pound Hill

I know

 

[amexer]

Good that England won but does not make Southgate a great manager. For the first time England played with a purpose last night and at last credit to him for having balls to be proactive with subs and take off 2 big players when we were drawing not losing. Up to then he has been very lucky Having the kindest draw possible Playing very poorly and also helped by one of worst penalty decisions I have seen.

 

[dejavuatbtn]

You can't argue with it he is head and shoulders above anyone since Sir Alf.

Very consistent since 2016, its not always pretty but he gets results and has the respect of the players.

There are other big teams that in recent times haven't even qualified for tournaments.

Yep, you can argue that Venables’ side played more attacking and attractive football but it didn’t get us far.
Over the years Southgate has become very practical - some might call it experienced: Dont let any goals in at the group stage and grind out results according to the opposition in the knockout. It’s worked for three out of the last four major tournaments. You just can’t argue with that. He’s not employed to provide us with entertainment, he’s paid to get results and he’s getting them.
History will only remember the winners, not how it was won. I have my fingers crossed for the weekend - it’s not as if our players haven’t come across most of the Spanish squad before. We can win this and Southgate can walk away with two fingers in the air and a knighthood.

 

[Jackthelad]

he isn't a tactical genius - no one ever said he was, but he understands International football where his predecessors didn't

Or it could be he’s was given an easy draw and has some of the best players England has ever seen.

 

[nicko31]

Yep, you can argue that Venables’ side played more attacking and attractive football but it didn’t get us far.
Over the years Southgate has become very practical - some might call it experienced: Dont let any goals in at the group stage and grind out results according to the opposition in the knockout. It’s worked for three out of the last four major tournaments. You just can’t argue with that. He’s not employed to provide us with entertainment, he’s paid to get results and he’s getting them.
History will only remember the winners, not how it was won. I have my fingers crossed for the weekend - it’s not as if our players haven’t come across most of the Spanish squad before. We can win this and Southgate can walk away with two fingers in the air and a knighthood.

Indeed its a results business, we're in our second Euro final in a row. Spain are good but we need not fear them at all

 

[GT49er]

Why? Depending on how you look at the stats he is already the most successful England manager since Ramsay, and if we win this I would suggest he surpasses Ramsay due to the number of "finals" games we have played. Why the time for a change when someone is still getting results. The only argument against him from this tournament is that we had a relatively easy route to the final, and made heavy going of it. However you see this from many successful teams at tournaments, they struggle to get going and then it clicks.

Still shan't bother. There's more to it than stats.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Maguire was injured. Mainoo was in the squad but despite 99% of anyone surveyed putting him in the team he went for TAA.
How did Kyle Walker get through the no dickheads policy?

Maguire had a muscle injury and would probably have been fit for the knockout stages - that didn't stop Southgate including then injured Luke Shaw in the squad.

It is clear to me that Southgate has factored in the 'disruptive' factor, he has ditched some of his former favourites and clearly given youth a chance. When he selected the squad I'm sure he thought the probability was this would be his last tournament with England, and this has precipitated a clarity of thought not seen previously.