England boss Gareth Southgate is set to receive a contract extension with the Football Association regardless of the outcomes of the current competition.
BBC Sport is reporting that the FA would “love” Southgate to continue beyond his current deal, whether England progress in Euro 2020 on Tuesday evening or not.
Gareth Southgate Impending Contract Extension
Unwavering Support for Southgate
“Our support is unwavering,” said FA chief executive Mark Bullingham. “We are 100% behind Gareth. We feel he is brilliant, both on and off the pitch, and want him to carry on. He’s doing a great job. Regardless of Tuesday. Absolutely.”
With a win rate of 63%, only Fabio Capello has a better record (of managers who have taken charge of ten or more games). Discussions will take place once the tournament is over to ensure Southgate can focus fully on preparation for the Germany game.
Consistency the Key
Discussions regarding Southgate’s future with England have more than a sense of the inevitable about them. Gareth Southgate is England’s voice of reason, the calm one if you will.
An unimpressive, albeit short, club management career ended in relegation and a brief absence from football. But Southgate has never been a man to rest easy, and in 2011, he was appointed as the FA’s head of elite development, to work with Sir Trevor Brooking. This was the start of a long relationship with the FA and he was now set as a part of England’s long-term future.
Southgate was given the chance as the England U21s manager from 2013-16 and with a 73% win percentage, he obviously did enough to prove himself for the top job. The pathway for these young English talents to move into the senior team was cemented by Southgate’s appointment and many have been promoted over the last few years with good success.
England’s Vision for the Future
England and the FA have a vision, based on the long-term ideology and concepts of the French model at Claire Fontaine, which has borne so much fruit over the last 20 plus years. Start at the bottom, start with the youngsters and build from there. This goes for coaches as well as the players too.
And the evidence is there for everyone to see with the England youth teams winning titles at various age groups in recent times. In 2017 England became U20 FIFA World Cup winners, European U19 Championship winners, and FIFA U17 World Cup winners. An incredible sign of things to come. We hope.
Steady But Unspectacular Start for the Three Lions
England’s performances so far at Euro 2020 have been solid if unspectacular. Zero goals conceded in three games is excellent. But only two goals scored at the other end is not.
There have some positive revelations so far with Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips and Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish leading the way and the impressive Borussia Dortmund youngster Jude Bellingham coming off the bench. But there have been disappointments too. Captain Harry Kane has been a shadow of his former self, and despite early periods of domination and pressure, England have not managed to make this count.
Germany Next on the Agenda for Southgate and England
The next challenge for Southgate is a familiar one, a real blast from the past. Pizza adverts aside, Germany games hold many painful memories for England fans, England players, and England managers alike. Waddle over the bar. Gascoigne’s tears and then a stud’s length away from redemption. And then Gareth Southgate’s tame, tame penalty when others would not step up. He has more reason than most to be pumped up about Tuesday’s game. But he won’t be alone, 40,000 people at Wembley will mostly be by his side. The German fans may have a different opinion of course.
With Southgate set to receive a contract extension, he has the powers at the FA convinced. But anything other than a similar semi-final appearance to 2018 will create much chatter and dissent amongst the English fans. Because that’s what we do. That’s how this works, for better or worse.
Gareth Southgate is a genius when we win and much the opposite when we don’t. The most difficult job in football, but the calm one seems to have a handle on things. We hope. Maybe this contract talk is a little premature, but then again maybe it’s coming home.
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