On behalf of every soccer fan in England hurting from their humiliating loss to Iceland, Gareth Southgate is not the answer.
It’s important to make that point perfectly clear, yet it’s hard to trust the FA to make the right call. After years of mediocrity from the national side, largely due to the managers appointed, England are staring down the barrel of more major tournament woes should Southgate be offered the job.
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Southgate deserves a ton of respect for what he achieved on the soccer field. He earned 57 caps for England and was apart of the famous Euro 1996 team that reached the semi-finals.
But as a manager, he doesn’t have nearly enough experience to take on the job as manager of the England national team.
The FA are reportedly considering the former Middlesbrough manager on an interim basis, according to BBC Sport. Making Southgate an interim boss makes sense as he currently oversees the under-21 team, although it should only be to steady the ship on a short-term basis while the manager search gets underway.
It’s important for England not to rush this decision, and after years of poor choices, the FA must get this one right. Harry Redknapp, who arguably should have got the job in favor of Roy Hodgson four years ago, believes Southgate would be the wrong choice.
"“Why should he get it in front of Steve Bruce and Sam Allardyce, who are proven managers?” asked the former QPR boss.When it was suggested that Southgate knew the way the Football Association (FA) worked as well as the English “system”, Redknapp responded: “Knows what system? The losing system? He knows the losing formula?“I like Gareth Southgate, he’s a great lad, but what’s he done?”"
Redknapp hit the nail on the head. The England manager must be experienced at the highest level and have proven themselves to be a top manager. Steve Bruce and Sam Allardyce don’t fit the bill, although both would be more deserving of the position than Southgate.
Allardyce in particular would bring his own style of play to the team. Where Hodgson’s team lacked an identity, Allardyce’s would have a clear style of play it would adhere to.
Redknapp wasn’t the only one to publicly question a potential appointment of Southgate. Former Middlesbrough and Tottenham striker Mido, who played under Southgate at Boro, tweeted his confusion.
I can't believe that in England they are talking about @GarethSouthgate to become the new Manager!! I hope he learned since the @Boro days!!
— Mido (@midoahm) June 28, 2016
Those days Mido is referring to is the three years he spent in charge of Middlesbrough. In that time, Boro were relegated from the Premier League and Southgate was eventually sacked.
He took over the England under-21’s team in 2013, but led them to an embarrassing group stage exit of the U21 European Championship in 2015. What makes the FA believe he could do a better job in the real thing?
This isn’t to say Southgate can’t become a great manager in the future. The 45-year-old has played at the highest level and has a good soccer IQ. What he needs is time to build experience and cut his teeth as a coach. This can be done with experience as the under-21’s coach or by taking a job in the Premier League.
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Handing Southgate the keys to the England senior squad would be a major gamble, and the FA’s track record suggests it wouldn’t be the right move.