Scots can sort Southgate’s future as boss
FOR large parts of the international break, Gareth Southgate looked and sounded like the perfect candidate to be England manager.
Southgate said the right things in public. He showed the toughness to drop Wayne Rooney and handled the decision in a very grown up manner with the Media.
From that point of view, and after the turmoil of Sam Allardyce losing his job, he was the type of man the FA wanted to calm the waters.
The England players have unanimously backed him, while Arsene Wenger, considered a contender for the position, has offered his support to Southgate.
So far, so good. But the waters were muddied by what really matters – action on the pitch.
A low-scoring home win over Malta and a lucky goalless draw away to Slovenia were hardly the results to signal a bright new dawn.
England are still top of their World Cup qualifying group, but that is not the point. The country needs a manager who can make a big impression at the World Cup in 2018, not just qualify for it.
Southgate talked about the younger players taking on responsibility and becoming leaders.
That suddenly became a reality when Rooney was left out, but they did not pass the test in Slovenia.
Having considered that Rooney did not deserve a place in the starting line-up, Southgate needed his players to back up that big call.
But they did not get the win that would have vindicated the decision and produced a very poor performance, and the debate over Rooney will continue in the lead-up to the Scotland game next month.
Having been given four games as interim manager, most would have expected Southgate to need at least three wins from those fixtures to have a strong chance of a permanent post.
His team has already slipped up once for him, so the pressure will increase ahead of that Wembley clash with the Scots.
Anything less than a convincing victory over the Auld Enemy will weaken his case further among the England supporters.
In many ways, the last fortnight mirrored Southgate’s time in charge of Middlesbrough. He was likeable, thoughtful and you wanted him to succeed.
But how did his three years at the Riverside end? With relegation from the Premier League.
The FA wants to restore its image after recent events and Southgate is a fine ambassador. But it’s on the pitch where managers really make their mark.