BEING ENGLAND manager is an impossible job at the best of times.
No matter how well the team performs, it seems that at some point, strong criticism is inevitable.
Several managers have had similar problems — struggling to mould a talented collection of individuals into a coherent team.
Sven-Göran Eriksson — the coach who could not inspire England’s so-called ‘Golden Generation’ past the quarter-finals at a major tournament — once received especially scathing criticism: “We were expecting Winston Churchill and instead we got Iain Duncan-Smith.”
The author of this memorable quip? Current England boss Gareth Southgate.
One of the prevailing narratives of the Southgate reign since he took the job in 2016 is that the ex-Middlesbrough boss had corrected many past issues.
The sideshows that had impacted English teams in the past — frosty media relations, players being apprehensive about representing their country owing to the inevitable blowback — had ostensibly diminished.
Southgate took over at what was perhaps the nadir for the English football team — a catastrophic Euro 2016 exit at the hands of Iceland and the brief, controversial, ill-fated reign of Sam Allardyce.
As a result largely of the 2016 humbling, expectations ahead of the 2018 World Cup were modest. So when the team made it as far as the semi-finals before losing to Croatia, it was a pleasant surprise for their fans and an overachievement in the eyes of many.
In the three tournaments since then, Southgate has only failed to make the semi-finals once, exiting at the last-eight stage of the 2022 World Cup against France.
Consequently, Southgate has reached the semi-finals at a major tournament three times in six years. Before he took over, England had only achieved this feat on four occasions in their history — 1966, 1968, 1990 and 1996.
But if it wasn’t already, at this tournament, there is a sense that the extended honeymoon afforded to Southgate is over.
Perhaps it is partially to do with the widespread expectation that Southgate will leave the job after this tournament regardless of the outcome. It is much easier for the media to criticise an outgoing boss than one they need to maintain a good relationship with. And with the fans, the phrase ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ springs to mind as there has been significant dissent from the stands — after the 0-0 draw with Slovenia, despite the team topping their group, supporters made their dissatisfaction known by hurling plastic cups of beer at the squad.
Perhaps wisely, the former Aston Villa star has not officially indicated his post-tournament plans.
Southgate didn’t make the same mistake as Bobby Robson, who announced he was leaving the England job before the 1990 World Cup to become PSV boss, prompting media accusations of the much-respected coach being unpatriotic and creating an unsettling environment going into the tournament.
Yet there is a sense, from reading between the lines in some of Southgate’s comments, that he may feel he is beginning to outstay his welcome.
Speaking at a press conference this week, the 53-year-old gave the impression that he was fed up.
“I can’t deny that some of the personal nature, you know,” he said. “This is a job where you get ridiculed, and your professional capability is questioned beyond belief, and I don’t think it’s normal to have beer thrown at you either.
“But I’m fortunate that my life’s taken me through a lot of resilience-building and it’s made me more determined and I’m just using it as fuel. I know where I want to take the team to. The team need to see me strong in those moments as well, otherwise that messaging that you’re giving them on what they need to be, it doesn’t ring true.”
Some England players have also seemed frustrated with the outside noise.
Declan Rice and Harry Kane expressed unhappiness following remarks from BBC pundits. Gary Lineker, in an admittedly tongue-in-cheek tone, described their performance versus Denmark as “shit”.
It is arguably the most gifted generation of English players in decades, while the strong record at recent tournaments has led to increased expectations.
So there are two different schools of thought. Firstly, Southgate has taken a group of perennial underachievers and turned them into overachievers.
Conversely, you could argue that he has been fortunate, both with the favourable draws afforded to his team and the exceptional group of players at his disposal, with whom perhaps England should be expecting to reach finals and semi-finals of major tournaments.
So is Southgate overrated or underrated? Maybe the answer is both.
The infamous recent Kalvin Phillips comments were widely ridiculed. But for the most part, Southgate has been impeccable in his media dealings.
His answers to often difficult and provocative questions are usually intelligent and measured. England duty will always be intense, but the former Middlesbrough boss has made life easier for players and created a much better environment than the one he inherited.
So leadership and emotional intelligence are the primary aspects that have enabled Southgate to become England’s most successful manager since World Cup winner Alf Ramsey.
On the other hand, there is evidence to suggest that tactically, Southgate is not at the very top level in terms of international managers.
His in-game substitutions have often been criticised — two key examples are the World Cup 2018 semi-final against Croatia and the Euro 2020 final against Italy — both games where the Three Lions made excellent starts and went a goal ahead before their opponents wrested control of the game and eventually beat them deservedly.
England did respond well to going behind against Switzerland. Nonetheless, there was the sense of Southgate being reactive rather than proactive — his first substitutions were made in the 78th minute, shortly after his team went 1-0 down when it had long since become clear his side were being outplayed.
In a sense, there is also more pressure on players and management than ever. The degree of scrutiny they face is unprecedented for an England team as social media makes harsh criticism almost inescapable.
Yet there is also compelling evidence to suggest that Southgate has been given a relatively easy time in the traditional media compared to many of his predecessors.
He has not been derided as a ‘turnip’ or denounced as a ‘wally with a brolly’ like Graham Taylor and Steve McClaren respectively. The invariably positive results have helped in this regard.
But even someone as widely respected in the game and fairly successful as Bobby Robson had it tough by comparison.
As Owen Gibson in The Guardian retrospectively noted: “The Sun was handing out badges demanding that Robson be sacked as early as 1984, but it was in the period following a disappointing European Championship in 1988 that the newspaper campaign to oust him became most heated. This was the Sun in its buccaneering, “super soaraway”, Kelvin MacKenzie pomp, when circulation was soaring, libel writs were waved away as an occupational hazard and it delighted in its self-made image as the pulse of the man on the street. With the same tenacity and self-righteous fury that would in time be extended to most of those in the public eye, it contrived that the job of England manager should become a vessel for the perceived frustrations of a nation.”
Perhaps partially owing to the declining influence of newspapers and tabloid media, and the more educated and in turn sympathetic view of the challenges of such a difficult role, the criticism of Southgate has been nowhere near as vicious in print. However it should be noted that there would have been a very different tone to the coverage if Jude Bellingham had not dramatically rescued the Three Lions in the dying seconds from a humiliating round-of-16 exit against Slovakia.
Of course, the onset of social media means the bile players and coaches can be subjected to is arguably as prevalent as ever in a different format.
Southgate was doubtless aware of these pitfalls when he took the role. He might have made some inevitable mistakes along the way with tactics and personnel. Moreover, some managers could get more out of the underperforming English players. But as is usually pointed out to criticise coaches, it’s a results business. In this sense, the regularly under-fire England boss has made the impossible job look easier than most.
