Gareth Southgate
There are a million reasons why Gareth Southgate shouldn’t be appointed as England manager, but he’s currently the frontrunner to take the job according to Sky Bet.
Southgate has limited experience as a manager, and it’s not like he exactly put together a strong series of results in this time, either. Southgate replaced Steve McClaren as Middlesbrough manager in 2006, and was relegated with the club in 2009 before getting sacked months later.
His next job came with the England under-21 team. Southgate’s time in this role has been somewhat of a mixed bag. Last year England were embarrassed with an early exit from the European Under-21 Championship. This year, he guided England to glory in the Toulon Tournament.
But is Southgate ready to handle the England national team? His performances at Middlesbrough and the under-21 team indicate he isn’t the man for the job. Yet the FA like to bring in managers who they trust, and there’s certainly belief they have trust in the manager potentially being groomed for this role.
At the very least, an interim role could be in Southgate’s future as England look elsewhere to find a permanent boss.
Next: A man to lift the spirits