Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
Gareth Southgate, England manager and fashion trend setter.
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Gareth Southgate and the England job
- Thread starter Sussex Nomad
- Start date
I was only one when we won, but know simply from coverage all my life that we beat Mexico (Charlton screamer), Argentina (Rattin) and Portugal (Eusebio).
I forget about the France and Uruguay ties.
(I get your point by the way).
Our cricket club is giving everyone who turns up in a waistcoat a free pint tomorrow night.
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
Not quite the same, but my local coffee shop is giving half price coffee to anyone wearing an England shirt tomorrow. I have to pop into the high street, so might just partake.
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
Speech by the groom at a wedding recently.
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
Stumpy Tim
Well-known member
Unbelievably they were interviewed on the sofa on BBC Breakfast this morning. Ludicrous television
Kalimantan Gull
Well-known member
We've had to play group winner Colombia, group winner Sweden, are playing group winner Croatia in the semi with group winner France waiting in the final. What more are we supposed to do? If we'd have played and beaten the out of form, out of spirit, out of ideas Germany and Argentina then no-one would be saying we'd had an easy run even though both of those teams were patently not up to this WC and deservedly didn't win their groups.
Sussex Nomad
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #130
I am relieved to have not posted on this thread but, like some others, it was due to lack of interest more than any sense of enthusiasm.
Hats off to one or two, though, especially [MENTION=14365]Thunder Bolt[/MENTION], for repeated and consistent sensible posts.
Nothing in my original post to suggest I was anything but disenfranchised with the whole England set up. He was mug enough to take it on and surprised the bloody lot of us!
What? I didn't say we were supposed to do more. I was replying to a post that said the average FIFA rankings of the teams we've faced was high, and I was pointing out that the statistic was misleading.
That's true enough. As things are though, we've had an easier route than Belgium, and the post I was quoting was suggesting we haven't.
I'm as delighted as everyone else about how such criticism now looks absurd with hindsight, but it appears we have gone from one extreme to the other. England have exceeded all expectations for sure, but I just hope we don't get battered tonight, fail to qualify for the next Euros, then find this thread bounced for all the wrong reasons ("I told you so")
Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
The criticism looked a bit absurd at the time because within football, there is the knowledge that he set about transforming the England youth setups while with the U21s, and paved the way for the success that they have been achieving, studiously plotting in great detail how to run and international side. If we were looking at the German's and their model of success, Southgate was the obvious choice, someone shaped through years working within the international setup.
GS has done something no recent England manager has done, and regardless of success on the pitch, he has bought back a pride in the shirt, a squad of players seemingly devoid of any club loyalty, that England is all that matters, that contracts, sponsorship are all an irrelevance to being a young English lad pulling on an England shirt.
The success in this world cup is of course helping a huge feel good factor, but I do think there is more to it than that. There is something deeper going on that no recent England manager got into. Foundations are being laid I feel for how England should operate, from the first team through the youth teams. For me, there won't be any I told you so's, because he has done a cracking job whatever the future holds or next results.
Sheebo
Well-known member
- Jul 13, 2003
- 29,287
But you’re now firmly back connected with the England team? I do feel this WC has been pivotal in that.
I hope attitudes remain in great support of the team for years to come after this tourno as it seems to have reconnected some stragglers who’d had enough.
I do think the lo-key, all but apathetic and certainly resigned to failure, build up has greatly helped this England team.
Sadly though that's now a thing of the past probably for the best part of the next 30 years.
We're going to be bombarded with jingoistic 'world beaters' and the obvious pitfall associated with failure being knocked out in the 1/4 finals.
Sussex Nomad
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #137
Yeah, win or lose tonight my attitude has definitely changed and I now see the benefits of having a manager that has gone through the ranks and brought the players on from more junior levels. I think my disillusionment was with the old duffer Hodgson that had not only stagnated but taken us back when we thought we could go back no further, followed up by a dinosaur of a manager that liked taking bungs and an inept FA that didn't seem to have any idea where they were going. I'd washed my hands of it by then, and didn't think GS would be mug enough to get embroiled in another disaster. He's taken us a long way in two short years, but there is also the long term plan, keeping him in the job and us continously improving, as the Germans sort to do, and succeeded in the first part of the new century. I'm back on the bus with GS.
Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
Or with the FA waking up to taking the youth sections seriously, that it is a system to properly develop not only players but an England manager from within that system, that actually we can build from this point for a completely different England team paradigm.
I'm not suggesting that will lead to us being 'world beaters' or to great success, I just think it will lead to a better England team.
Paying the mega bucks to the gravy train mercenary manager who only picks the 'big name stars' and doesn't give a crap about the whole England structure is hopefully a thing of the past. Perhaps we can collectively start caring properly about England again, win, lose or draw.
He is at risk of becoming the next Coleman here, massively over rated on one tournament when we can only judge him after two or three.
I dont think he is anywhere near as arrogant as Coleman to believe the hype thankfully.
Pavilionaire
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 30,587
I'm glad I didn't post on this thread two years ago because I was then totally underwhelmed by the Southgate appointment. Regardless of what happens tonight he's already proved me wrong and I have total respect for him.
That said, it can't have been much more than 3 months ago that such was the apathy England were playing friendlies and nobody on NSC could even be bothered starting a thread until the game had almost kicked off.
He's just got a whole series of decisions right but the general theme has been to eliminate the circus from the England camp, i.e:
1. Leaving out Rooney the superstar
2. Binning the injury prone - Wilshere, Sturridge, Lallana.
3. Binning perennial under-performers like Hart, Smalling, Walcott.
4. Giving youth a chance - Maguire instead of Cahill.
5. Making Harry Kane captain - a modest, grounded, likeable, driven and universally respected individual.
6. Making the players accessible to the media.
7. Managing the hangers on and WAGS to the extent you wouldn't know they were there (if indeed they are).
That said, it can't have been much more than 3 months ago that such was the apathy England were playing friendlies and nobody on NSC could even be bothered starting a thread until the game had almost kicked off.
He's just got a whole series of decisions right but the general theme has been to eliminate the circus from the England camp, i.e:
1. Leaving out Rooney the superstar
2. Binning the injury prone - Wilshere, Sturridge, Lallana.
3. Binning perennial under-performers like Hart, Smalling, Walcott.
4. Giving youth a chance - Maguire instead of Cahill.
5. Making Harry Kane captain - a modest, grounded, likeable, driven and universally respected individual.
6. Making the players accessible to the media.
7. Managing the hangers on and WAGS to the extent you wouldn't know they were there (if indeed they are).