There should be no reward for failure
FA CHIEF EXECUTIVE Martin Glenn says that Gareth Southgate could be named as England’s next manager, even if he loses to Scotland next Friday. Really?
Southgate is a caretaker boss who’s in the middle of a four-game trial period. The onus is on him to show he’s up to taking on the position permanently.
His first two tests brought two uninspired, barely acceptable results.
Beating Malta 2-0 at Wembley is below par in anyone’s language. As was a goalless draw in Slovenia when your goalkeeper is the Man of the Match.
A draw against the Scots at Wembley would be very disappointing. A defeat would be a disaster.
Yet Glenn hints that it doesn’t really matter how Southgate’s team fare in that game – or against Spain four days later.
He said: “Even if those matches don’t go so well, he would still be a candidate. You don’t judge a good manager on the basis of one or two games.”
Except that you do. Roy Hodgson wasn’t judged on his 10-wins-out-10 Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, he was judged on a defeat by Iceland.
Steve McClaren was judged on a home loss to Croatia. Sven Goran Eriksson on a defeat by Portugal.
International managers don’t have the same cushion that club managers have. There aren’t dozens more matches to put things right.
Lose an important game and even an established man is on thin ice – let alone someone who is auditioning for the role.
If Southgate beats Gordon Strachan’s team then loses to Spain, that’s not so much of an issue because that’s a friendly and the Spaniards are among the world’s best.
Southgate is an intelligent individual and he wouldn’t expect to be given the job if he loses to Scotland. The public simply wouldn’t accept it.
Glenn and the FA are obviously very keen for their internal candidate to succeed. But what was the point of making him caretaker for four games if not to see if he could handle the job?
If results didn’t matter, they might as well have made him the permanent boss as soon as Sam Allardyce left.
Being England manager isn’t just about conducting yourself in an appropriate manner. It’s about winning football matches.
Southgate already ticks a lot of boxes. But the big one is whether he can win the games that matter.
If he can’t, he should not be considered.