Southgate might just surprise you, and he could start by playing the kids
There is a misconception of Gareth Southgate that he is a typical Football Association ‘yes man,’ a grey man in a grey organisation, happy to toe the party line and, for want of a better word, survive.
The 46-year-old was a steady player, winning 57 England caps and captaining Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough, but he was never one of the more colourful characters in the English game and his
public image is a result of that.
Twenty years on, Southgate is still defined by the missed penalty against Germany at Euro 96 and the image of him being consoled by Terry Venables after Andreas Kopke had saved his fateful spot-kick at Wembley.
But it is a testament to Southgate’s character and resolve that he was willing to raise his hand and take the penalty when more experienced team-mates ducked out of the responsibility.
Similarly, when he was approached to take charge of England on an interim basis following Roy Hodgson’s resignation following Euro 2016, Southgate displayed his single-minded streak by rejecting the opportunity.
Southgate is remembered for his penalty miss against Germany at Euro '96 (Getty)
He may come across as the definition of an FA man, but Southgate is his own man and he will approach the next four games in charge of the senior team, in the wake of the Sam Allardyce scandal, as the master of his own destiny rather than a puppet of chief executive Martin Glenn or technical director Dan Ashworth.
Southgate will surprise people with his determination to do his own thing and, if he wants to make an early statement of intent, he has the perfect opportunity with his team selection for the World Cup qualifier against Malta on October 8.
Allardyce was largely loyal to the players who failed to perform under Hodgson in France, with Wayne Rooney retaining the captaincy and his place in the team under the former Bolton manager.
In an ideal world, Allardyce would have preferred to skip a generation and take the bold step of handing the captaincy to John Stones or Harry Kane, but he played safe – if only he had done that off the pitch – and stuck with the status quo where Rooney was concerned.
But during Allardyce’s sole game in charge against Slovakia earlier this month, Rooney found himself searching for a role as he drifted around midfield, spraying Hollywood balls from one side of the pitch to the other, as England toiled to victory.
Allardyce sprung to Rooney’s defence after the game, insisting he could play wherever he wanted for England, but it did not wash and the player’s subsequent omission from Jose Mourinho’s starting team at Manchester United exposed his fading powers at the highest level.
Rooney is 31 next month and has already admitted that he will retire from international duty following Russia 2018.
His eyes are already focused on the finishing line, but the competition for places is now too intense for Rooney to coast along the Moscow over the next 18 months.
Southgate has overseen England's Under-21s side since 2013 (Getty)
He still merits a place in the squad, but Rooney can no longer be regarded as a first-choice in either midfield or up-front.
Kane, Daniel Sturridge, Jamie Vardy and United team-mate Marcus Rashford, who scored a hat-trick for Southgate’s Under-21s against Norway earlier this month, are all now ahead of Rooney up front.
And it is difficult to state Rooney’s case in midfield ahead of Eric Dier and Danny Drinkwater in the deeplying positions, with Dele Alli, Jordan Henderson and potentially even Ross Barkley ahead of him in
attacking midfield.
Southgate could play it safe and avoid a controversial start to the job by sticking with Rooney against Malta, who are likely to prove the whipping boys of the qualification group.
But he must now plan for Russia and ask whether Rooney, who will be approaching 33-years-old, can keep out all of the above at the World Cup.
Southgate has nurtured much of the young talent now offering England hope of a brighter future and this is his chance to accelerate their development by trusting them to perform for the senior team.
The sands of time are running out for Rooney and Southgate will have seen the decline at first hand.
But if the decision has to be made, Southgate has proven in the past that he is more than prepared to put his neck on the line.