Sport
SOUTHGATE ON THE SPOT AGAIN
Gareth Southgate begins his audition for the England job this weekend, but is he really the right man to take the country forward?
Southgate has landed the poisoned chalice of England manager on an interim basis following the short-lived one-game tenure Sam Allardyce after his shock departure last month in the wake of newspaper revelations about the former Bolton and West Ham manager.
Off the back of a disastrous Euro 2016 campaign which saw Roy Hodgson leave his role the last thing the Football Association wanted was to see another manager depart and a another new man brought to the helm.
Southgate ruled himself him out of the running to replace Hodgson in the summer, but as a result of circumstance the job has landed in his lap and Southgate has effectively four games to convince the FA he deserves the biggest job in English football starting with this week’s World Cup qualifiers at home to Malta and away to Slovenia.
The former Crystal Palace and Aston Villa defender will also be in charge for a qualifying match at home to Scotland on November 11 and a friendly at home to Spain four days later after which the FA will make a decision on who they feel is the right candidate to try and lead England to the 2018 World Cup and other major tournaments after that.
Southgate has been thrown into the deep end after a difficult few weeks for the FA resolving the future of Allardyce, but he could not have asked for an easier opening game than minnows Malta at Wembley.
Southgate is in pole position to land the England manager’s job on a full-time basis and now the former Middlesbrough boss must prove he deserves a crack at the job long-term.
Southgate has won 27 of his 34 matches as England U21 manager should he secure positive results in his four games in charge of the senior side he will almost be a certainty to carry on the role.
His critics might say the 46-year-old lacks the experience to be a manager at the highest level of international football, but his development with the Under-21s will stand him in good stead with the FA powerbrokers as he will have worked already with the next generation of stars primed to make the breakthrough into the senior England team.
His credentials to be England manager are questionable as in his only foray into club management during a three-year spell with Middlesbrough Southgate struggled and could not save the club from relegation from the Premier League.
Having won 57 caps for England as a player Southgate knows what it takes to play for your country, but it will be interesting to see how he handles the egos of an England senior squad dressing room.
Since taking charge of the Under-21s in 2013 Southgate has enjoyed missed results winning the Toulon Tournament this summer for the first time in 22 years, but the European Championships were not so positive as England finished bottom under Southgate’s stewardship.
Southgate is the continuity candidate for the FA, but he now must prove to the players and the public he is the man to get England back on track and among the top nations competing for honours at the highest level.
Howard Wilkinson, Peter Taylor and Stuart Pearce all had a taste of what it was like to manage England on a caretaker basis in the past, but surely this opportunity offers Southgate the platform of outlining his credentials for the role full-time.
All eyes will be on Southgate during the next four games and if he thought the pressure of taking the spot-kick in the Euro 96 defeat to Germany was immense wait until he finds out himself what it is like to be England manager in the next four defining fixtures of his career.
