SOUTHGATE: WE ARE THE ONES WHO HAVE TO BE EDUCATED
ENGLAND manager Gareth Southgate should be putting the finishing touches to his Euro 2020 masterplan. His team would have been facing Croatia at Wembley on Sunday. Instead, the pandemic has shaken football to its core. People are still dying every day because of Covid-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement is gathering pace. So what does Southgate make of it all?
RAHEEM STERLING DENOUNCED THE LACK OF BAME COACHES AT THE FA. YOUR REACTION?
I don’t think it would be right to talk about the individuals Raheem mentioned. What I would say is that Ashley Cole is developing very well on a similar route to Steven Gerrard, who worked in Liverpool’s academy for a couple of years.
Ashley is doing that with Neil Bath at Chelsea and I talked to Ashley among a group of coaches a couple of weeks ago and he is progressing really well. He has impressed me on the calls I’ve been on with him.
On a broader scale, we lack that representation. The biggest crime for us is if kids think a path in life isn’t possible. I heard Jermain Defoe a few days ago saying, ‘Is it worth me taking my qualifications?’. That’s what we have to avoid. We then have to make sure the opportunity is there when people are qualified and capable. I’m not a massive lover of initiatives because I don’t always think they deliver ultimately what is required. You need more forceful change.
But there have been initiatives in the last four or five years that are starting to make a difference. We have some very good young black coaches coming through our development teams. Justin Cochrane is somebody who is going to be a top coach.
IS FA INSTITUTIONALLY RACIST?
You have to start at the very top and there has been a lot of work done to make the boardroom more representative, gender as well as race. Paul Elliott’s involvement is an important one, not only in the respect of diversity but also to have an experienced footballer on the board.
We have not been great in English football at getting ex-players into those executive roles. People have spoken brilliantly over the last week, people I have had the good fortune to meet and work with like Troy Townsend, Chris Grant and David Olusoga. There are some really powerful messages and a lot of those will be uncomfortable for white people but they are critical voices to be heard.
It is important to hear from black voices but it is important to hear from white voices as well because ultimately they are the people in the positions to make decisions and open up opportunity.
We are the ones who have to be educated. I have sat with my kid most evenings and discussed what has gone on around the world and watched films, read articles because the more knowledge we have the better.
IN 10 YEARS MIGHT THIS BE SEEN AS A WATERSHED?
There’s an opportunity and that’s going to require skilful leadership and a collective will. That isn’t so straightforward because there are 91 agendas in the League. Every owner will be thinking, at the very best, they’ve had a near miss in terms of finance and how do they make a more sustainable model moving forwards. Most will have to reflect on transfer fees this summer. That might filter on to other decisions on salaries and agent fees and everything else. There will be the obvious short-term things around physical performance and the number of substitutes. I could see that being in place for a while because the physical demands, if I was at a club at the moment, would be uppermost in my mind.
How do I prepare a team to avoid injuries but to peak in a short period of time? The teams at the bottom have to cope with that. That could have a big impact on their survival.
The economic outlook is going to be massively challenging. It will be interesting to see what the football pyramid looks like. There is an opportunity to make it even stronger, more resilient and robust. I grew up in a period where the fifth tier was all part-time and players earned really well. I find it difficult that the fifth tier is full-time. I am not sure how that is sustainable. So I am interested to see how that plays out.
KANE & RASHFORD WERE MAJOR DOUBTS FOR THE EUROS. IS IT A BLESSING THEY WERE CANCELLED?
We just accepted the injuries for what they were: something outside our control. You never want games cancelled as an international manager because you have so few opportunities to work, learn and improve with the team.
I’m sure they would both have declared themselves fit, but how fit and ready would they have been?
Things do turn on moments of fate. I was talking with Ruben Loftus-Cheek a few days ago, he’s been out for a year. No way would he have got back for a tournament like that. Who knows what the next 12 months might look like for him and other young players yet to play in the Premier League.
HOW MUCH OF A MESS WILL INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL BE IN?
I am more optimistic now than six weeks ago, in that it feels as though the world is advancing in a good direction. There was a period when I didn’t think there was going to be anything before Christmas. But the Bundesliga showed what was possible and now it feels more acceptable for football to come back in our country.
When I was talking to players during lockdown, some were worried about taking the virus home. Others were worried whether it was appropriate to be playing when people were dying in the numbers they were.
The situation with the virus has shifted, and, with the regulations that are in place at clubs, the players are more comfortable as I speak to them.
The UEFA meeting I was in on was geared around the September, October, November international fixtures going ahead. Now, that is complicated by the start of domestic leagues across Europe. There is another UEFA meeting in about 10 days when we should have more clarity.
HOW HAVE YOU STAYED IN TOUCH WITH THE SQUAD?
We’ve had a lot of time to think about how we work and a lot of time to review matches, so that period’s been useful. There have been a lot of podcasts, link-ups with other coaches trying to learn from each other and looking to what the future might be like.
At the start of lockdown I’d never used Zoom. I started phoning some of the players and I found Zoom sessions much more productive. The ability to at least see face to face, see reactions, will give us a better opportunity as we start working again.
To keep closer contact with the players more regularly, you can share footage so you can coach remotely, and given the schedules with their clubs are so intense, it’s much easier to hook up with them online for half an hour than to meet them individually.