Gareth Southgate recalls Scotland moment that started his England managerial journey

    [ad_1]

    It’s your own fault, Scotland. Even Gareth Southgate admits that the whole phenomenon that fans north of the border have had to put up with from their England counterparts for the last few years would not have happened if they had done a little bit better the last time they came to Wembley.

    No World Cup semi-final. No beers thrown in the air. No waistcoat. No England actually being half-decent for change.

    It all boils down to an embarrassing no-show in November 2016 when Southgate was caretaker-manager of a Three Lions set-up at incredibly low ebb.

    Two managers sent packing in the aftermath of Euro 2016. 

    A trip to Malta that had England fans heading out of the ground for the bars at half-time as their misfiring heroes struggled to a 2-0 win.

    JUST IN:
    Graeme Souness’ bizarre comment ahead of Scotland’s clash with England

    “I felt we played well on the night but we were in the really early stages of getting the team to resemble what we truly believed and what the consequences of more time coaching the team allowed to happen.

    “But the win did not convince me about taking the job full-time – perhaps it persuaded everybody else to think, ‘Blimey, we’ve tried everything else, perhaps we might give this bloke a go – he took the under 21s, let’s go from there!’

    “On a personal level, by the time we got there I felt it was a job I wanted even though I was never going to say that publicly. 

    “But I knew having worked with the players and having had a closer insight into the workings of the job it was something I wanted to go for in my life.

    Unfortunately, the success England have enjoyed under Southgate means that another comfortable win will no longer be enough to keep the nation onside.

    “Tournaments define England managers, there is no doubt about that,” he said. 

    “If you look at our history, most of our win records are reasonably similar but the tournament performances define you.

    “We are aware of that and know they are the things that really matter for the country and really matter for the team.”



    [ad_2]

    Previous articleLove Island's Amy Hart steps out in a form-fitting LDB after dining with pals in London
    Next articleGet on with it, Joe! Biden urged to seal UK-US deal now – rebels in Congress lead charge

    LEAVE A REPLY

    Please enter your comment!
    Please enter your name here