AFTER England’s gut-wrenching 2-1 loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 final, fans and pundits were quick to weigh-in on whether Gareth Southgate should stay or go.
Legends like Rio Ferdinand slammed Southgate’s “conservative” approach while Gary Lineker took a brutal swipe after England once again fell short in a final.
However, some supporters called for the Three Lions boss to be knighted after turning English football around and restoring a nation’s pride.
Here, our heavyweight columnists Piers Morgan and Tony Parsons argue for and against Southgate’s future as England manager.
When Gareth Southgate was appointed England manager in 2016, I took the news well.
“There is a legion of better managers than Gareth Southgate in the world,” I raged on Talksport. “The objective should be dragging the England team out of its abyss and dragging us kicking and screaming – under the tutelage of a brilliant, dynamic new manager – into the next phase of our existence. Instead, we’ve gone for the easy option, the cheap option by the strict criteria of: he’s got to be English and barely useless, and I don’t get it.’
Then I added for good bile-laden measure: “I only know Southgate as the guy who starred in pizza adverts when England were humiliated in the past.”
Ouch.
Suffice it to say, Gareth proved me spectacularly wrong.
He created a team in his own cool, calm, collected image, developed a fantastic team spirit with his players, and has performed better in major international tournaments than any manager of our national side other than World Cup-winning Sir Alf Ramsey.
But when the final whistle blew in Berlin’s Olympiastadion stadium last night, it felt like the right moment to say goodbye to Gareth.
I was there, with two of my sons, to watch England come up short, again, against Spain.
And none of us was enraged.
Disappointed, yes.
Angry, no.
Truthfully, for all our bullish ‘It’s Coming Home!’ social media posts, we knew in our hearts it probably wasn’t.
Why?
Because for all his ‘safe-pair-of-hands’ positives, the problem with Gareth, ironically, is that he’s just too safe.
This very talented squad of players should have been ordered to play with far more attacking flair through this tournament, as Spain did.
Put someone like Jurgen Klopp or Alex Ferguson in charge of these guys, managers with a love of rampaging flamboyance and with in-built desire to entertain, and we’d have won it just as we’d have won the last Euros too.
I think Gareth knows he’s reached the end.
He’s been neither hero, nor halfwit
Piers Morgan
He’s seemed pricklier, and more defensive, about media criticism than I’ve ever seen him, and I suspect it’s just the aggro of the job finally getting to him.
A year into his tenure, we met at a GQ awards night, and he was very friendly given how rude I’d been about him.
“How’s the world’s most difficult, thankless job going?” I asked.
“It’s… interesting!” he chuckled.
“What’s been the biggest surprise?”
“When you’re an England player, you return to your club after a game and the focus moves to that. But when you’re England manager, the media attention, criticism and pressure never stops.”
“You realise,” I said, “that unless you win a trophy, you’ll be mocked, abused, deemed a failure and unceremoniously sacked.”
“I do, yes Piers… thanks for reminding me, though!”
We met again before the Euros 2020 final.
“It’s a fine line between hero and halfwit in your job,” I observed, “do you really believe we can be European Champions?”
“Yes,” he replied, emphatically.
But sadly, he hasn’t won it, despite getting to two finals.
He’s been neither hero, nor halfwit.
Just a good guy who gave us a team that’s done us proud on, and off, the pitch.
Gareth should resign to let someone else try to reach the summit, but he should go with his head held high, and our sincere gratitude.
SHOULD Gareth stay or should Southgate go?
I can’t be the only England fan who is torn.
One part of me – my heart – wants Southgate to walk away.
Not because he has failed but because I am sick of seeing this decent, thoughtful and SUCCESSFUL England manager being abused by beer-chucking fans, armchair experts and yesterday’s men like Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer.
Gareth Southgate did not fail.
The other part of me – my head – passionately wants Gareth to stay because he is without doubt the most successful England manager since Sir Alfred Ramsey.
He steered England to their only two tournament finals since 1966 and he did it over the last three years.
He took us to our first final ever on foreign soil.
And not even Ramsey managed that.
Yes, in those two finals we were beaten by Italy in 2021 and Spain on Sunday night.
Southgate sticks with players – like Harry Kane – when a more cold-hearted manager – a Pep, a Fergie – would consign them to the knacker’s yard
Tony Parsons
Unlike our final against Italy, the best team won. And this is sport – remember?
How can we bitch and whine when the best team wins?
But goodness me, how people whine and bitch when it comes to Gareth Southgate.
I think it is his demeanour that invites the toxic inventive.
I believe it is because he speaks in a calm, measured tone – so totally unlike the raving maniac managers we see foaming at the
mouth every week in the Premier League.
Southgate is a cautious man. He stick with players – like Harry Kane – when a more cold-hearted manager – a Pep, a Fergie – would consign them to the knacker’s yard.
But I don’t want Southgate to stay because he is a good guy.
I want him to take us to the 2026 World Cup for one reason only – his record.
He gets England deep into tournaments.
Apart from the two Euros finals, he took us to the semi-final of the World Cup in Russia, against Croatia, and a World Cup quarter-final in Qatar, when we went out after Harry missed a penalty against France.
No former England manager has that kind of record.
Not even Alf Ramsey.
Southgate’s England are frequently derided for their cautious, joyless football. And like every other armchair expert, I would love to see them off the leash and running riot.
I see no evidence that there is a manager alive who can conceivably improve open Gareth Southgate’s record.
