NEIL MOXLEY Don’t build for tomorrow ...make us smile today!
Follow us on Twitter: @peoplesport GARETH SOUTHGATE’S greatest triumph as England manager will not be to find the country’s footballing DNA.
He won’t be knighted after securing qualification for next year’s World Cup – or the 2020 European Championship finals.
And neither will he be ‘fulfilling the brief’ if the former centre-half heads into a major tournament with a coherent plan instead of the confusion that has been the hallmark of the last four big events. Although that would be a start. No, Southgate’s job is far more simple: to put a smile back on the faces of English football fans.
And now he has been confirmed in the job he can start his quest this afternoon by dishing out an almighty thumping to the latest no-hopers to enter Wembley under a banner of meaningful competition.
Lithuania are ranked 105 in the world – 40 places below Scotland who posed little threat – and should be attacked ruthlessly from the first blast of the whistle.
And utterly whacked out of sight.
I don’t want to hear any wishy- washy post- match soundbites about ‘getting the job done’ or a 2- 1 victory being ‘something to build on’.
Gareth, get your 11 Lions up for an international match – after all it’s the showpiece sporting occasion of the weekend – work hard, have fun and score a bucketful of goals.
For if the new man really wanted to nail his red and white credentials to the mast, he would have done so five months ago against Malta – little more than a pub team sporting an international crest on their jerseys.
He missed that open-goal – and got the job anyway. Back in October what 80,000 paying punters witnessed was a snorefest. 2-0? It should have been 10.
Walking away from the stadium that day, what would a dad have said to his lad?
‘Sorry son, I know Malta are the Dog and Duck but at least we won’.
You can just imagine his offspring looking back at him forlornly mumbling the words: ‘I don’t want to go again’.
Instead of seeing all- out attack with the gap between the two LAST WORD... countries highlighted with a fast start, early goal and an avalanche of shots, Malta were just ‘dealt with’.
One month later, Scotland pretty much went the same way. It wasn’t an outstanding performance.
Worryingly for Scots boss Gordon Strachan, it didn’t need to be.
If England are going to be attractive to everyone again – if this overwhelming feeling of apathy is to end – then Southgate and his players need to do something about it.
For brown ale football is not going to inject life into a body that is running short of oxygen.
I want – along with the nation – flaming sambuca football, brought over on a silver dish by an attractive, happy waitress – preferably with some nibbles.
And I demand it when the opposition is rank. And these players are good enough to deliver it against Lithuania.
In fact, thinking about it, I want it even when t he opposition is decent.
What’s the worst that can happen?
We’ve already lost to Iceland in the last 16 of a major tournament. How bad can it get?
Last Wednesday against Germany was a start. For an hour England were inventive, energetic – all that was missing was a goal.
Then we played right into the hosts’ hands, stepped off the gas and the Lukas Podolski tribute evening received a fitting end.
So, Gareth, don’t worry about building for tomorrow. Don’t fret about the downside – just let the boys go and play, please. Give us goals. Get us off our seats.
Because what might happen if we play football on the front foot with smiles on our faces is that t he f eelgood factor returns. And who knows where that might take us – possibly a place where that elusive DNA has been hiding.
I don’t want to hear post-match wishy-washy soundbites about getting the job done’. Give us goals! Get us off our seats!
THEO WALCOTTC was upset at being left out of Gareth Southgate’ste’s England squad. So what is his response? AnA absolutely pitiful performance for the Gunners at West Brom last week, which ultimately proved England’sEnglad manager was right to can the Arsenal mann (right).