fbpx
Connect with us

English Premier League

Gareth Southgate reacts to angry England fans throwing cups at him after dull draw with Slovenia

Gareth Southgate reacts to angry England fans throwing cups at him after the dull 0-0 draw with Slovenia on Tuesday night.

Despite a lacklustre performance at the Cologne Stadium, the Three Lions managed to secure top spot in their Euro 2024 group due to a goalless draw between Denmark and Serbia.

According to the official match report by the Football Association, a couple of empty cups were thrown towards Southgate at the end of the game.

Boos were heard as the final whistle blew, and if anything the claps were for the players who made their way around the pitch.

He said on BBC Radio 5 Live: They (fans) were brilliant, in the second half especially there was a constant noise around the team.

“I get it that they are not happy with me, that is the reality, I am not going to back away from that. I need them behind the team.

“I have to deal with what I am dealing with.

“I was not going to back away from going over to thank people for coming and giving the support that they did, but I know that this is causing an issue for the group.

“I can deal with that but I need them to support the players.

“The more the fans are like they were in the second half, behind the team it is a massive lift for them, because we are operating in a very, very unusual environment.”

On cups thrown towards him, Southgate adds that he ‘understands’ the anger.

At his post-match press conference, he continued: “We have made England over the last three or four years fun again.

“I think it has been enjoyable for the players and we have got to be very, very careful that it stays that way.

“I understand it. I’m not going to back away from it.

“The most important thing is the supporters stay with the team.

“I understand the narrative towards me and that’s better for the team than it being towards them.

“But it is creating an unusual environment to operate in. I’ve not seen any other team qualify and receive similar.

“I understand it, I’m not going to back away from it, but I’m very proud of the players for how they’re operating within it.”

Southgate felt England dominated the game, but urges his side to be more ruthless in front of goal so their possession can count.

“We totally dominated the game, particularly second half.

“We had them pinned in for long, long periods.

“I was pleased that we had the composure not to get anxious.

“We know what the last week or so has been like and in those moments when everyone is desperate for the win you begin to use the ball not so patiently and find yourselves in trouble.

“Really pleased with the impact of all the players that came into the game.

“Of course we would have like a couple of goals to send everyone home happy but that wasn’t to be tonight.

“That was not for the want of trying by the players, we just lacked that finishing touch. The final touch or pass let us down a bit a few times.”

This is what Twitter users are saying as Gareth Southgate reacts to angry England fans throwing cups at him after the dull draw with Slovenia…

@ScribblerKeith: Gareth Southgate is the only manager in the world who could take the Bundesliga top scorer, La Liga player of the season and the EPL player of the season, and pick a system that makes all three completely ineffective. #ENGSLO

@Benhadlington1: This is an open letter to Gareth Southgate. Dear Gareth, Play 2 out and out wingers, play foden as the 10 and Bellingham and rice in the middle. And tell Harry Kane he’s a striker not a centre back. Kind Regards, Every England fan

@Dan_K1980:
He’s accommodating for Bellingham as a 10.
Truth is Bellingham is class and can play an 8.
Play Foden as the 10, Bellingham 8, Rice as 6.
Free up the left for Gordon to add pace down both wings.
No need for this negative defensive football.

@PaulButlerO8: It’s like watching Rishi Sunak

@Andy_Ram: The crowd were fantastic all night – didn’t stop singing, instead Gareth had managed to make it sound like some weird toxic relationship. He’s out of his depth.

@robjtweets: The setup up, structure, and links of play for the team is clearly wrong. Players look frustrated to be playing in it. Fans are frustrated to be watching it. Unfortunately, that has to come down to management and coaching. It’s like Gareth thinks the team is immune to criticism.

@SurreyPalmsWX: He should have stepped down after throwing away the 2020 Euro final in front of a packed Wembley. Plus the FA should have let him go after 2022 WC exit in quarters. 8 years and 4 tournaments now. We were better in 2018 than we are now in 2024. He’s taking this team backwards.

@COYS41:
– Doesn’t take a fit LB
– Plays 3 RBs
– Plays a FB in midfield
– Forces players into unnatural positions instead of where they excel for club
– What is Holland doing in training?
– Reactive, stubborn in game mgmt
it’s not the players fault; they are crippled from the first whistle

@Bawzoot1:
At this level the egos are to fragile.
A needy bunch of millionaires who need constant reassurance.
Need to be told how great they are for making a 10 yard sideways pass.
Get a round of applause for winning a throw-in or corner.
A little cuddle when substituted.
Tiresome

@colincockles: Last night was an opportunity to field players that have been warming the bench. Some of the regular 11 have looked leggy &/or haven’t really produced against lesser opposition. However, he made one change, & then brought on players that did change the tempo, far too late.

@wearz: He knows he has days left in the job and no football club in Europe is going anywhere near him

@JamesMiley1: Some pathetic fans around. Top of group, better half of the draw, some tough teams here and they want to do well too. Look at France,Italy they have struggled. Honestly these fans need to get behind team or go home, simple.

@GreatorexAndrew: With that statement Southgate made clearly shows how far out of touch he is with the supporters.

@Simmoowl: Nobody should be throwing anything at the guy that’s not on, but he needs to realise we’ve played the worst 2 games of the tournament because of his negative team selection and the fans are paying thousands to watch it so why would the fans stay with the team 🤦🏻

@_iainmurray: Always loved&defended GS, rightly so imo. But don’t patronise us with ‘stick with the players’ ffs, no fan in that ground had any issue with any of the players. No overreaction from me yet btw but fuck me we need a BIG improvement – every chance we will based on past tournaments

@fozzy_mufc: It’s not a “Narrative” Gareth, you are a league 1 level manager in charge of arguably the best national team on the planet. Shock horror, you’ve got them producing sub par performances for the 4th tournament in a row and, subsequentially, the fans are livid. Not rocket science.

@Najmedden: England has its best squad in years, possibly even decades, but unfortunately, they also have their worst coach in just as long. Wake up and make the necessary changes before it’s too late.

@jack_the_gill: It’s truly not rocket science here. We’ve been embarrassingly poor against sub standard opposition. Which is largely down to his team selection and subs. That front 4 has 135 G/A contributions this season. He is mis managing a golden generation and is finally being found out.

@nxck1_: Front 4 who are of the best in Europe, scored 2 goals in 3 games. Only win came against team who finished bottom. We are currently on the lowest points tally of all group-toppers. We are 20th out of 24 teams for xG, 12th for touches in the opponents box, 16th for SOT per match

@philsuds: What other nation would throw things at their manager after topping their group? And under him they yet again fall in to the easier side of the draw. #EURo2024

@BeautifulGameJS: My god, he thinks its a narrative. We’re watching with our eyes Gareth, the performances have been completely & utterly woeful, void of expression or drive or creativity. How many results can they bundle their way through before the 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 FA takes a team this talented seriously.

@davidcondron42: Haven’t seen any other team qualify and play that bad. This man is so out of his depth it’s ridiculous

Related Topics
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

More in English Premier League