Gareth Southgate was appointed England boss in November 2016, following a successful spell as interim boss. At that time, England's national football team, and the Football Association, was in potentially it's darkest and gloomiest spot ever. A failure of EURO 2016, finishing behind Wales in the group, before losing to minnows Iceland in the Round of 16 embarrassingly. Yet that would not even be the lowest point, as Sam Allardyce, who was appointed as England boss, was involved in leaking information to businessmen on how to get around FA rules on third party ownership.
A day after the Telegraph exposed this, Allardyce was sacked, and England needed a new manager. Southgate took over as interim and impressed, securing the job going forward.
It appears that a lot of people have forgotten just what state the FA was in when Southgate took charge. He was a calming and assured presence and steadily guided England to World Cup qualification. That was a minimum, yet the squad still wasn't filled with talent.
Say what you like about the path to get there, but Southgate guided England to the semi-finals at that tournament, narrowly losing out to Luka Modric and Croatia, in extra time, but they had no expectation to be there.
The previous tournaments, England had not advanced further than the first knockout round since the 2006 World Cup, and was the nations first visit to the semi finals since the 1996 EURO's where Southgate himself played, missing the vital penalty in the shootout.
And that is where Southgate is unique, he was capped 57 times, and therefore understands the pressure that comes with pulling on the three lions crest.
The biggest criticism of Southgate has been his style of football, and scraping through games, especially at this latest tournament. It has been slow at points and seen as negative and boring, which at points it definitely has been, and also his lack of "winning"
Yet this seems wrong from my point of view. This is where I declare that I have been a Southgate supporter and backer while he has been in the job. I will also openly say this summer has been where I have most questioned his position, but I stand by him even now.
England fans have this entitlement, and belief that we should always be winning, and this squad certainly has a quality in some respects to deserve that label, however, we have to look at our history as well.
As a nation, this period under Southgate has been our most successful, except for when Sir Alf Ramsey guided England to the Jules Rimet trophy in 1966.
Southgate is the only other England men's manager to get the country to a major tournament final, and has now reached three semi-finals as manager. England have only reached four without Southgate in charge, (1966, 1968, 1990 and 1996). That means by the time that England face the Netherlands, he will have featured either as player or manager in 57% of England's semi final appearances, and 80% of the semi-finals in his lifetime.
Even looking at the following success of Southgate after the World Cup in Russia. At the EURO's, which were a year delayed due to Covid-19, Southgate led England to top their group, before facing a tough Germany side and beating them 2-0, on their way to the final. When there, England took an early lead, before losing on penalties in heartbreaking fashion, with Southgate able to support his players with an understanding of that feeling and emotion.
The next major tournament was the World Cup in Qatar, where England put on a show in the group-stage, scoring nine goals, before a further three against a strong Senegal side in the Round of 16. Then they played reigning World Champions and eventual finalists France, losing narrowly 2-1, in which Harry Kane missed a late penalty, and where the three lions had refereeing decision consistently go against them.
In-fact the argument can be made that every England exit has not been Southgate's fault. The squad in 2018 wasn't experienced or at the quality level, in 2021 he saw his side lose on penalties, which has often been compared to a coin toss before losing to France in 2022 with a penalty miss after setting up well.
It isn't just the tournaments either that supports the success that Southgate has had, he has made the players excited to represent England and to report to St George's park.
The quarter-final against Switzerland marked his 100th game in charge, and in that time he has won over 60% of his games in charge, a record only matched and bettered by Sir Alf Ramsey and Fabio Capello.
It is fair to expect much of this England team, they now have the talent where they enter the tournament as genuine contenders, and all the questions and criticism is a compliment of the expectation, yet it has personally gone to far for Southgate.
He has done so much for the countries football scene, and is continuing to do so, and for the abuse to result in cups being thrown and him being dragged down in the media, is just sad.
Yet despite all this, he has stayed calm, cool and respectful to the media and the countries fans. Lesser men would have lost their cool at the disrespect, but infact, he has embraced the frustration, deflecting the abuse off of his team, taking it onto his shoulders, the sign of a true leader and manager.
And that is incredible, especially with members of England's team saying they feel sorry for their manager, insisting that he is asking them to press higher and play at a quicker tempo.
The truth is, I do believe that no matter the outcome of this tournament for England, that it will be Southgate's last in-charge of the three lions.
I can't see why right now he would want to stay with the level of abuse and questioning that he has received from the public and the media, and having hit more milestones as manager it would appear a good time to bow out.
The FA would love for him to stay, and I'm sure many of the players will feel the same way. He has been brave with his selections at certain points, from backing players like Maguire, to giving Saka a key role early on in his career, to even now taking players like Mainoo and Wharton in his squad.
It is also clear to see he is learning from previous decisions in other tournaments and even this EURO's. At EURO 2020, he subbed his penalty takers on in the last minute, against Switzerland he made his changes earlier. He picked a younger squad with less experience on form, after previously taking players he knew and trusted, and even this tournament, has changed formation to try get more out of his team.
Some could say that's media pressure, but that would be misplaced as he has never been one to bow to the media, picking players like Shaw this summer, who only featured in the quarter-final, but in the 40 minutes he had, he showed exactly why Southgate took the gamble with him, despite many saying he should not.
I am glad that the tournament didn't end at the hands of Slovakia or Switzerland, obviously it would not have been the nicest ending to his time as boss. He deserves his flowers, and is undoubtedly in the top two England managers ever, and will be the best if England win two more games in Germany this summer.
Even if you have struggled to watch this summer, stick with him, England are winning games, and if it was another nation like France, the team would be praised for getting the job done.
Southgate has served the nation brilliantly and deserves to be backed and trusted, he see's far more than anyone else with all the time with the players during training, and he understands the responsibility, having been there himself.
You can question his tactics if you wish, but to question his passion and care for the country is crazy. You only have to watch his celebration following the victory against Switzerland to understand how desperate he is to win.
Verdict:
As I mentioned before, I have long been a Southgate supporter, and back in 2020, I wrote "At international level, results over performance and style is amplified" which seems to stand for everyone except England and Southgate.
There is no manager I would rather see win a tournament for England, he cares deeply, and it would complete an incredible story arc for Southgate. From missing the penalty that saw England fall in '96, to leading his country as manager to win a tournament for the first time in 58 years, would be such a captivating story, especially if that was where he left the job.
No matter what happens in the Semi-final and potential final, Southgate should be remembered as the man who got England going in the right direction again, and as one of England's greatest ever managers.
