I’ve changed my mind about Pickford. I thought he had a good tournament. Rice was a big disappointment, expected so much more and he gave the ball away too many times last night. Stones, was as reliable as ever. Kane is obviously injured and much like Pochettino played him in the CL final when not fit, he should have said to Southgate to bench him prior to the final. Second half, as soon as Rodri was replaced and Saka pushed further upfield we were exposed on the left where both goals came from. Southgate is a decent person and man manager but he’s not the finest tactician and I felt he made the easy choices with Kane and not using Gordon and Cole more. Time to give someone else a go. Eddie Howe.
Excellent column and thanks for the superb writing and posts during the tournament. Best team win and it’s time for Southgate to move on. I am surprised you only gave Bellingham a 6 and Foden a 7 considering Jude got two goals including a massive one against Slovakia. Foden didn’t score any. I can’t understand why Gareth changed to a back four for the final after doing better with the 3. Bellingham is not a wide left player ticked in. I thought Walker was dreadful all tournament. People talk about his pace to much. Had a very average season at City to. Trent is the answer at right back now. White hopefully comes back to.
Agree. His positioning was terrible for the whole tournament. But he has pace as the press are obsessed with. Didn’t do a lot of good this Euro’s. How was he named in team of tournament to. Strange things those.
Sound scores. Too tired and exasperated to add much…but here goes!…
Loyalty to some players led to an imbalance almost all of the time. So as a strategist, I’d give Southgate 5. Getting the players to love their manager is important but at the final whistle, not enough.
We had the talent. Never created enough momentum. You can’t say (as many are) that just because we got to the final we must have got it right. We had six games to create a force good enough and he didn’t achieve that.
Thanks Gareth, take your knighthood and enjoy the rest of your career.
Genuinely can’t disagree with anything here. I need to start widening my reading! 😉
I think Southgate has blown the best chance any England manager has had to win a trophy since Sir Alf. There was a reason why England were pre-tournament favourites, and it had nothing to with an English sense of entitlement - although that absolutely does exist.
Problem is, if/when he goes, who is there to replace him?
Agree with almost 100% of your post. But the following I’m not so sure about.
Whoever succeeds Southgate has a call to make on whether Bellingham and Foden can play in the same team. Both are magnificent footballers but England’s focus gets blurred with this double vision.
Why are the two mutually exclusive? Not another Lampard-Gerrard style dispute, please.. A manager worth his salt should be able to weld together two wonderful talents. You would never hear a film producer saying “We can’t have Leonardo di Caprio and Tom Hanks in the same film.” Well, Spielberg got it to work. Why not a decent, imaginative English football manager to fix the Bellingham and Foden debate?
Again, your’s is the best overall analysis of football in UK. Hope you realised your ambition to visit to Colditz.
I think the manager as got the players to where he can but now we need to look at someone to take the talent we have to the next step I would like to see pep take over he done it all at club level it would be good to see him at international level .
I’ve changed my mind about Pickford. I thought he had a good tournament. Rice was a big disappointment, expected so much more and he gave the ball away too many times last night. Stones, was as reliable as ever. Kane is obviously injured and much like Pochettino played him in the CL final when not fit, he should have said to Southgate to bench him prior to the final. Second half, as soon as Rodri was replaced and Saka pushed further upfield we were exposed on the left where both goals came from. Southgate is a decent person and man manager but he’s not the finest tactician and I felt he made the easy choices with Kane and not using Gordon and Cole more. Time to give someone else a go. Eddie Howe.
Totally agree. Except for your parting comment. Leave be!
Excellent column and thanks for the superb writing and posts during the tournament. Best team win and it’s time for Southgate to move on. I am surprised you only gave Bellingham a 6 and Foden a 7 considering Jude got two goals including a massive one against Slovakia. Foden didn’t score any. I can’t understand why Gareth changed to a back four for the final after doing better with the 3. Bellingham is not a wide left player ticked in. I thought Walker was dreadful all tournament. People talk about his pace to much. Had a very average season at City to. Trent is the answer at right back now. White hopefully comes back to.
You’re right about Walker. Everyone mentions his pace, like that’s the only attribute that matters as a defender.
Agree. His positioning was terrible for the whole tournament. But he has pace as the press are obsessed with. Didn’t do a lot of good this Euro’s. How was he named in team of tournament to. Strange things those.
Sound scores. Too tired and exasperated to add much…but here goes!…
Loyalty to some players led to an imbalance almost all of the time. So as a strategist, I’d give Southgate 5. Getting the players to love their manager is important but at the final whistle, not enough.
We had the talent. Never created enough momentum. You can’t say (as many are) that just because we got to the final we must have got it right. We had six games to create a force good enough and he didn’t achieve that.
Thanks Gareth, take your knighthood and enjoy the rest of your career.
I had him as 5 and then felt that was disrespectful. He’s a good man but he’s not a finisher.
Genuinely can’t disagree with anything here. I need to start widening my reading! 😉
I think Southgate has blown the best chance any England manager has had to win a trophy since Sir Alf. There was a reason why England were pre-tournament favourites, and it had nothing to with an English sense of entitlement - although that absolutely does exist.
Problem is, if/when he goes, who is there to replace him?
Absolutely spot on Henry in each assessment 👏
Agree with almost 100% of your post. But the following I’m not so sure about.
Whoever succeeds Southgate has a call to make on whether Bellingham and Foden can play in the same team. Both are magnificent footballers but England’s focus gets blurred with this double vision.
Why are the two mutually exclusive? Not another Lampard-Gerrard style dispute, please.. A manager worth his salt should be able to weld together two wonderful talents. You would never hear a film producer saying “We can’t have Leonardo di Caprio and Tom Hanks in the same film.” Well, Spielberg got it to work. Why not a decent, imaginative English football manager to fix the Bellingham and Foden debate?
Again, your’s is the best overall analysis of football in UK. Hope you realised your ambition to visit to Colditz.
Ben White shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the England squad and I trust the senior players will make that clear to the new manager.
Ben White shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the England squad and I trust the senior players will make that clear to the new manager.
I think the manager as got the players to where he can but now we need to look at someone to take the talent we have to the next step I would like to see pep take over he done it all at club level it would be good to see him at international level .
Be great but just can’t see Pep taking it tbh