Bear’s Mission With Gareth Southgate, ITV ★★★★
Over on ITV last night Bear Grylls was looking for football tips from the England manager.
“What’s the best piece of advice you could give to someone about penalty kicks?” Grylls asked. Given Southgate’s own painful experience I was hoping he might say “Let one of the forwards take it instead.”
Sadly, he just gave Grylls some standard motivational spiel – something about belief and focus, I think.
To be honest, I was surprised Southgate had agreed to join Grylls on one of his glorified Boy Scout adventures. The last time he went
out into the wilderness was when he famously tripped over and dislocated his shoulder while jogging near England’s training camp in Russia.
So no wonder the first challenge Grylls set him looked a little on the simple side. He had to slide down a rope from a helicopter that was hovering around 10ft from a clearing on Dartmoor. I’m no expert but it probably would’ve have been easier to just jump.
The next two challenges though? I wouldn’t attempt them even if Southgate offered me tickets to the World
Cup final. First he had to forward run down a 150ft cliff face. Then Bear challenged him to pull himself across a valley on a tightrope 90ft in the air.
He passed both tests with flying colours and then it was on to what must be every footballer’s worst nightmare – having to humour someone with two left feet that wants to have a kickabout.
The fact that Southgate made it safely through that ordeal as well told me everything I needed to know about Qatar 2022.
I think it might be coming home.
‘‘ Now what about that penalty miss, Gareth?