Following England’s defeat in the final of Euro 2024, Crawley Councillors are keen to recognise Crawley’s most famous son, Gareth Southgate, in some way. Not wishing to intrude on his disappointment and realising his legendary modesty, they have decided to take some time to consider just how to honour him.
Not so here at Sussex Bylines, where we felt an article dedicated to Southgate would be an appropriate way of applauding the man whose footballing talent was first nurtured at Pound Hill Junior School and Hazelwick School.
From Crystal Palace youth team to England Manager
Much has been written about Southgate’s prowess both on and off the pitch, his debut for Crystal Palace and subsequent captaining of that team, his move to Aston Villa and his successes there, followed by more glory at Middlesborough, being appointed manager at only 35.
Despite all these achievements, what everyone always remembered about Southgate, whether they are football fans or not, was the missed penalty in the Euro ’96 semi-final against Germany at Wembley. Watching that match with my son who was seven at the time, I still remember his howl of grief which was reflected by the despair felt by the whole country. Traumatised, Southgate fled to Bali with his girlfriend, but on his return was cheered by sackfuls of supportive mail, one of which was a note from future prime minister, Tony Blair.
Although Southgate said it was the sort of thing you never really got out of your system, typically he managed to put things in perspective, as one incident in a roller-coaster year, where he went from introducing the Sex Pistols at their Filthy Lucre reunion tour in Finsbury Park to that semi-final only three days later. And so he moved on, eventually becoming the coach to the England Under 21 Team before succeeding Sam Allardyce as manager of the England team.
Triumph and heartbreak
As manager for the last eight years, Southgate has led the team to some impressive triumphs, all of which are now shadowed by criticism of the team and his tactics in the Euros this year. The goalless draw against Slovenia resulted in beer cups being thrown at Southgate and booing from frustrated fans. It was felt by pundits such as Gary Lineker that his strategies for the team were too defensive: “And, now, maybe it’s time for someone else with a more modern, attacking style of football.”
It all seems a little unfair when considering Southgate’s record against that of other managers, taking the team in 2018 to its first World Cup semi-final since 1990. More success came in 2021, with England playing Italy in the final of the delayed Euros and only eventually losing in a penalty shoot-out.
The final against Spain two weeks ago was the first England had played on foreign soil. Mark Bullingham, the FA chief executive, summed his tenure up: “So, in his eight years, he has won more games that really matter than in the previous 50 years.”
Southgate’s “Dear England” letter
But there is far more to Gareth Southgate than just another successful football manager. Many recognise the true calibre of the man, illustrated so clearly in the letter he wrote to England fans in June 2021, just before the beginning of what should have been the 2020 Euros but delayed as a result of the Covid pandemic.
Beginning “Dear England”, this extraordinary letter revealed a man deeply committed to country, to the fans as well as the team, but seeing the wellbeing of that team and their status as role models as important as their sporting success.
It has been well documented by footballers such as Rio Ferdinand from the so-called golden generation under manager Sven-Göran Eriksson, that England lacked team spirit, and that playing for your country was considered less important than success in the League. Southgate changed this. His attitude is clear from his letter, in which he points out that “the journey to earn an England cap is an incredibly difficult one, regardless of background or circumstance”, and that it is a profound privilege to represent your country, sharing the pride of not just football fans but the whole UK population.
Team spirit is stronger
Southgate has engendered team spirit where there was little before. Players from the major clubs would stick together and it could be a gruelling experience for a player who knew no-one. Rio Ferdinand comments that nowadays it is clear that the team can’t wait to train and meet together, comparing the team to a youth club. This team spirit was admirably reflected by Jude Bellingham’s reaction to the racist comments made about Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka for missing penalties in the Euro 2020 final against Italy – “We win together and we lose together…as for the racism, hurtful but not surprising.”
Southgate himself has been in the forefront of efforts to put a stop to racism in the game both at home and abroad, supporting the side in the Euro 2020 qualifying match in Bulgaria, when they became the first team to pause a match following racist jibes. He also backed ‘taking the knee’ by English players, first used in America in support of Black Lives Matter, but now more commonly used as a symbolic anti-racist gesture.
Farewell Gareth
Finally, the man that is revealed by his 2021 letter is someone who feels that his prominence in the public sphere should lead him to stand up against injustice and racist attitudes, promoting instead inclusivity and equality.
He clearly cares deeply for his players, encouraging them to stick up for each other, to ignore social media trolling and to use their voices to educate and enlighten. He is always quick to comfort and encourage after a tough match or a missed penalty and is obviously loved by the team.
Jude Belllingham led the tributes after Gareth had resigned, acknowledging him as the best coach England had ever had, but also describing him as “an unbelievable human being”. He leaves an England team in far better heart than he found it, as talented as the golden generation but more united, supportive of each other, the best of colleagues and the best of friends.
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