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

[drew]

I don't agree with this.

I think Grealish went from a team where he was THE only creative source so one with an abundance of creativity, so he's chosen the safety first option. This has clearly vexed Pep, who went out and bought Doku to do the job Grealish was brought in for. Ergo Doku displaces Grealish in the starting line-up.

I don't see anyone saying Pep has ruined Doku.

You don't think Grealish was playing to instructions then?

 

[Bombardier]

I’m starting to worry about @Randy McNob now.

 

[hart's shirt]

The players liked him... Tactical shortcomings are not a crime.

Tactical shortcomings may not be a crime, but they are far more important in a managerial position than being liked.

Inflatable unicorns in the pool can only take you so far.

 

[BadFish]

Tactical shortcomings may not be a crime, but they are far more important in a managerial position than being liked.

Inflatable unicorns in the pool can only take you so far.

Inflatable unicorns would have been more effective than Harry Kane though.

 

[Zeberdi]

Twas the time.

Think Lee Carsely should be moved up and Potter given the U21s for 18-24 months to develop the youth players - it wouldn’t be a bad idea for Potter to start (as Southgate did) on the ground level and then work up to the senior squad in time for the WC group stages in June 2026. Always had Potter pegged for a stint with the England youth teams anyway because developing younsters is one of his strengths - Carsley can do the job in the meantime shirly.

(Edit - just to say I don’t actually think this is what will happen - Potter has been the favourite to takeover from GS for months and he knows it I suspect)

 

[Nottseagull]

I think Grealish went from a team where he was THE only creative source so one with an abundance of creativity,

I thought they were quite creative enough without him last time we played at Villa Park.....

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Well, good riddance, but any hope of letting our talented England squad of young players off the leash will swiftly disappear if Potter gets the gig.

Nonsense. Potter will be amazing with our talented players. Think about the crushing of Leicester and ManU rather than the dross games.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I thought they were quite creative enough without him last time we played a Villa Park.....

Indeed. The huge transfer fee they received for Grealish has helped their recruitment no end.

 

[Pavilionaire]

You don't think Grealish was playing to instructions then?

No I don't. Southgate omitted him from his Euro '24 squad for the same reason - he's become a lazy player.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Just to say, and it shouldn't need it but it seems all of us who have criticised Southgate are increasingly being lumped together so it has to be done, I wish Southgate well and he's undoubtedly a top man. I just think England to reach the next level need someone with a bit more tactical nous.

Yep. And picking players to play the way you want rather than playing the way you have to with the players you think you need.

 

[Javeaseagull]

It's interesting contrasting Brighton fans' views of him with other clubs. I'm on a whatsapp group with some mates who are big England fans but not Brighton (two Spurs, one Villa, one Cambridge). I watched the game with the two Spurs lads on Sunday, one of whom regularly watches us at Wembley and was in Russia in 2018. He's absolutely devastated and contrasts the feel good of three of Southgate's tournaments with the shitshows that proceeded it.

A lot of travelling England are also lower league fans who aren't treated to Pep / Klopp / Arteta / Ange / RDZ / GO'N week in, week out but rather Barnsley or Port Vale hoofing it. A lot of praise on social media from those fans.

Lots of "hooray, he was boring" stuff from others though too.

I’ve never bought in to the anti Brighton bias because of Palace connection. He’s made mistakes, who hasn’t? I think he has been blindly loyal where it wasn’t appropriate. There are good reasons to stand by players that are under the cosh but his loyalty to Maguire who couldn’t get into the Man Utd team and Phillips who had a poor season at West Ham I hold against him. I don’t think he did Maguire any favours by playing him when he was clearly out of form. It’s gone now and the next Manager is definitely going to need a thick skin, judging by the eulogy surrounding Southgates departure so that rules out Potter.

 

[Dave the hatosaurus]

Wow, some of the polarisation of views on here is incredible.
I never hated GS, in fact i hate very few people. However my view is that whilst his achievements with PR, player relations and setting England on a good path were indeed fantastic the performances on the pitch were less so. Is it wrong to think that some of his tournament runs had an element of good fortune about them? I know you can only beat what is in front of you but even his most ardent fans must surely agree that he had some extremely favourable pathways to finals. Is it also wrong to dislike some of his team/squad selections? The loyalty to certain players was laudable when they were performing well but i felt was misplaced when they were out of form, out of their club side or carrying an injury. Finally is it wrong to criticise the tactics? Safety first and defense has its time and place but i felt he never let the handbrake off and went for it at least some of the time and proactive substitutions to alter the course of a match were non existent.

TL;DR Thank you Gareth for your efforts but you stayed a little too long.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I heard a while back from a decent source that this is exactly what’s going on.

5-2 on Bet365, same as Smeddie. With Carsley third favourite laugh

If I were Smeddie I would take the job. He has already made his retirement fund. And if he leaves the job in 4 years he can always do a Robson or Wally and go back to club football.

If I were Potter, I would hesitate - the backlash among England fans would I suspect be massive. But after a full 30 seconds' deliberation I'd say, 'f***-yeah! I'm IN!'.

 

[Dave the hatosaurus]

5-2 on Bet365, same as Smeddie. With Carsley third favourite laugh

If I were Smeddie I would take the job. He has already made his retirement fund. And if he leaves the job in 4 years he can always do a Robson or Wally and go back to club football.

If I were Potter, I would hesitate - the backlash among England fans would I suspect be massive. But after a full 30 seconds' deliberation I'd say, 'f***-yeah! I'm IN!'.

Just imagine being given a chance to go down in history as the first England manager since Sir Alf to win a trophy, who the heck would turn that down?

Edit: thinking about it, that is probably why GS stayed longer that he should have.

 

[DJ NOBO]

5-2 on Bet365, same as Smeddie. With Carsley third favourite laugh

If I were Smeddie I would take the job. He has already made his retirement fund. And if he leaves the job in 4 years he can always do a Robson or Wally and go back to club football.

If I were Potter, I would hesitate - the backlash among England fans would I suspect be massive. But after a full 30 seconds' deliberation I'd say, 'f***-yeah! I'm IN!'.

Those three together remind me of Bros.
With Lee Carsley as Ken.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Glad he’s been spared what would have come his way if he’d stayed as fundamentally he is a good man.

This

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I just think England to reach the next level need someone with a bit more tactical nous.

Potter it is then.

 

[herecomesaregular]

I'd say thanks to him, purely on results. Yeah he could have done better in each final (the one game that really matters) but likewise you can say others may not have got us there on the first place.
Timing is good, let's see what the next bloke does.

 

[RandyWanger]

let's see what the next bloke does.

Sucks through teeth... "the lads, they gave it everything. Can't fault the effort"

 

[dazzer6666]

Twas the time.

Think Lee Carsely should be moved up and Potter given the U21s for 18-24 months to develop the youth players - it wouldn’t be a bad idea for Potter to start (as Southgate did) on the ground level and then work up to the senior squad in time for the WC group stages in June 2026. Always had Potter pegged for a stint with the England youth teams anyway because developing younsters is one of his strengths - Carsley can do the job in the meantime shirly.

(Edit - just to say I don’t actually think this is what will happen - Potter has been the favourite to takeover from GS for months and he knows it I suspect)

Not sure I'd want to gamble on Carsley getting us through qualification