Gareth Southgate flak is no surprise after England’s Euro 2024 displays… previous Three Lions bosses had it worse
FOR 30 years they have called it the Impossible Job — but in my book it was always the Ultimate Dream.
In 2012 there was a time when it seemed it may come true as well, when England were looking for the man to replace Fabio Capello.
I was Tottenham boss at the time and perfectly happy with my lot.
Why wouldn’t I be? It was one of the best in football. But the chance to manage England?
That was the greatest honour of all and I said so to everyone who asked.
Even though I’d not had an approach from the FA, I had loads of messages from people at the League Managers Association insisting I would get it.
Still I heard nothing, until one day, when I put the radio on as I drove out of Tottenham, there was a newsflash that Roy Hodgson had been appointed — and that was the end of that.
As much as it would have been great, it wasn’t a huge disappointment because I had a great job already — although not for much longer as it happened — and it didn’t eat away at me.
I’m not one for living in the past and my days aren’t filled with regrets.
But I’m also a proud Englishman and it does occasionally still cross my mind, especially at tournament time.
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What an opportunity it would have been to work with players like Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard — it was a great generation.
Mind you, it’s not a bad one now either, because Gareth Southgate’s England squad is — in my book — the envy of the Euros.
OK, it’s not been great so far, but we topped the group.
And the way our half of the draw has opened up is as though someone up there is saying, ‘There you are, now go and win it’.
England will certainly never get a better chance and it does have a ‘now or never’ feel about things.
Of course there has been a bit of flak flying around, although that’s hardly a surprise after making such heavy weather of getting out of an easy group.
But if Gareth thinks a few grumbles and chucking the odd plastic cup is stick, he doesn’t know the half of it.
Compared to what Graham Taylor suffered — every day at one stage — it’s nothing.
Such a great man, a genuinely lovely guy, he was ridiculed by the whole country. And people think it was all great under Bobby Robson, too.
They remember the 1990 World Cup, Gazza’s tears and all that. But he got a load of grief in the years before.
For sure, Gareth’s had a bit over the last few days — as England manager it comes as part of the deal — but nothing like those two.
Not even close.
I remember when the West Ham fans were having a right go at David Moyes in his first spell there and him telling me, “My God, they don’t mess about, do they?”
That’s what real stick is like — horrible, personal stuff and hopefully Gareth never gets anything similar.
Touch wood he won’t, either, because I keep coming back to the draw — and how it’s being put on a plate for England.
Harry Kane is the best centre-forward in the world, for all he’s struggled this far, Jude Bellingham was the star of LaLiga and Phil Foden the Player of the Year in this country.
All men any other nation would build their team around.
They would do the same with Jack Grealish and James Maddison and they never even made the plane.
In the Palm of his hand
ENGLAND may have stunk the place out so far but there’s only one new face I want to see in tomorrow’s line-up — Cole Palmer.
I don’t go along with those who want to see a load of changes against Slovakia — for all the group games were awful.
It’s been too slow, too steady, too safe but you need someone who can produce that flash of genius — and Cole is that special talent.
He can cause chaos on the left and that would also allow Phil Foden — touch wood he’s back in the camp — to float in behind Harry Kane.
Lots of people are calling for Kobbie Mainoo to come in alongside Declan Rice in midfield.
But I would put Jude Bellingham in a deeper role, with Kobbie coming off the bench again if he’s needed.
I just hope England are more attacking, more positive and play with more pace. If they do that, I can’t see us having a problem.
And now we’ve got Slovakia in the last 16 tomorrow — a side who’ve got lads who were on loan at places like Norwich and Watford not so long ago.
No doubt Gareth will talk them up as being well organised, hard to break down and tough opponents.
But let’s be honest, compared to the top sides — ones like England — they are rubbish and we should be smashing them to pieces.
There isn’t a team to scare me and, after saying before the tournament that anything less than the final would be failure, I’m not about to change now.
Fingers crossed all those who have underperformed — there are plenty of them — get their act together.
Not many will live with England if they do, trust me.
Gareth won’t be worrying about dodging any plastic beer glasses or angry fans then — although I think it’s wrong to put all the blame at his door in any case.
As Taylor used to say, a manager is never as bad as you think and never as good as he’s painted. It’s always somewhere in the middle.
Southgate has done a decent job so far.
The last four of the World Cup and a Euros final isn’t bad, for all the draws helped him then as well.
Let’s just hope this time he gets us over the line. They won’t be calling it the Impossible Job if he does.