[Football] Southgate - go or stay?

[Wozza]

Don't particularly like Southgate, but there's probably no-one better suited in England, so I guess he'll have to do for the next 18 months or so.

Maybe with a more progressive, less conservative coach working as his No.2.

 

[Justice]

Pott

Has he gone yet ?

Every time I see this thread I'm reminded I've wanted him out for a few years - only lessened because I didn't want England to poach Potter ( which is no longer a problem ).

Potter isn’t that manager to get you over the line either. Didn’t with us every time we needed a win to achieve something a bit special we lost ie Fulham away.

England have only won 4 times against teams ranked in the top 24 under Southgate. He’s had easy groups and draws.

 

[Badger]

This poll makes about as much sense as an Ipswich banner.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Which is lucky, because despite some rating him as an international boss, I don't see fans of any club clamouring for their board to appoint him. Not even Palace, the usual destination for failed England managers, would seem to need him at this stage. I think that a kick upstairs at the FA would be his best bet and seems to play best to what I see as his strengths. He's diplomatic enough to fit with the hugely risk averse FA, but has also shown some backbone on important off the pitch issues. He's defended his players and has hardly put a foot wrong in the media / PR jungle that is managing our national side.

If he goes now-ish I can see Everton replacing Fat Frank with him.

 

[Bold Seagull]

This goes to Liew's point about "process" for me. Southgate is a process coach (Pep) whereas France were influenced by a knock out coach (Ancellotti).

The subs thing is interesting in that context. Even though Brighton had three or four different possible formations under Potter, he's another process driven coach who regularly got our subs very, very wrong, and has been criticised for that at Chelsea too.

So - if you remove the process, what else do you remove. Do they become a tight group who know their job or suddenly a bunch of individuals again? Is it enough to just "get some talented guys in a room, shout a few things and play like the hounds of hell for four weeks" as Liew suggests? How does that work with Nations League, Euros and all the pointless friendlies. Friendlies, which, of course, are rendered not pointless if you use them for team building and bonding, trying out tactics and players and 'process' rather than just yelling at them "just get out there and get f***ing stuck in". Christ, Mike Bassett could do that.

In short, I still don't see who the tournament winning coach is when Southgate has got to a WC semi already and lost a major final on penalties. Morocco, for all the fairy story stuff, could easily go out to France at the same stage we did in 2018 and a stage behind England's Euros.

I know I'm answering Glendenning's point by disagreeing with Liew's but I really don't know who the tournament winning coach is, who will take us to the next level when probably only 18 months ago we were at that level.

The most shocking thing about this thread, though, is finding out @Bold Seagull is a Guardian reader

as if you didn’t know….and real ales….and a beard!!

 

[Marshy]

yes he should go