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Gareth Southgate speaks on his future as England manager in message to fans wanting him sacked

Gareth Southgate speaks on his future as England manager in a message to fans wanting him sacked amid the woeful recent form.

The 52 year old has admitted his tenure as England manager could well come to an end after the World Cup should his team’s poor performances result in failure in Qatar.

He has a deal with the Football Association until 2024, after the next European Championships, but he accepts his contract will not protect him from the sack if his team fall short with their performances and results.

England get set to take on Germany on Monday night in their last fixture before the World Cup having failed to win in their previous five matches in the Nations League.

Their only goal during this cycle of the competition has been a Harry Kane penalty against the Germans when they played in June.

Southgate was booed off by supporters after Friday’s defeat in Italy and has now called for unity to help his team return to the displays that saw them reach the Euro 2020 final just 14 months ago, before results turned and questions have been asked of the manager’s future.

Problem is we have heard this all before, and not just from Southgate but from the likes of Kane, Rice and Sterling since the previous international break, and yet they keep on putting on uninspiring displays leading to England’s relegation in the Nations League.

He pointed to his years of experience as he was questioned if he doubted himself following recent criticism.

Southgate replied: “I’m fortunate that I’m now sadly in my 50s, I have been in football for 30 years and I have gone in one guise or another to 12 tournaments, working with these chaps, scouting – this will be my seventh as player or a coach, so I have seen pretty much everything.

“The cycle of war with the media, the love-in – we are somewhere in the middle of that, it is an experience that I knew at some point would probably come with this job so I have to accept that.”

“Look, I’m the manager,” he asserted. “The results haven’t been at the level we want, that we require, so no matter what job you have in football that would be the case.

“Of course with the national team that noise is going to be louder and more widespread, I understand that.

“I’m not hiding from it, we are not enjoying it but we have to keep doing the right things every day to keep improving.”

Southgate also knows his future will be dictated by England’s World Cup performance rather than previous successes or the fact his contract runs until 2024.

“I am not foolish,” he added. “My sole focus at the moment is to get the team right for (Monday) night.

“We’re focused on a good performance, a good result, then you’re looking towards the World Cup. And I know ultimately I will be judged on what happens at that World Cup.

“Contracts are irrelevant in football because managers can have three, four, five-year contracts and if results aren’t good enough then you accept that’s time to part ways.”

Forward Raheem Sterling has defended the under-pressure England boss ahead of his side’s Nations League match with Germany, urging: “It’s not time to panic.”

Southgate was booed by some of the travelling support after the defeat at the San Siro, and heard chants of ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ in the 4-0 defeat against Hungary, putting on more pressure and scrutiny with the World Cup opener against Iran looming large on the 21st of November. Still so weird to say, right?

When asked about the criticism aimed at Southgate, Sterling said: “We all know that is what comes with football and playing at the highest level.

“We are always under that pressure to win, and this small loss of form is not something we need to panic about. We now have a big opportunity coming up in the winter to go out and show what we can do again.”

He added: “For what he has done since he has been in the job, he’s taken us to a semi-final and a final, and it just shows the direction we are going in.

“Yes, we know we are not at the level we can be right now, but I still think we have positives to look at.”

Sterling went on to admit that England, who are on their worst run of eight years, are not where they need to be at the moment and ahead of November’s World Cup, and he called on the players to take responsibility as they look to turn things around and take the pressure of Southgate.

“Since the manager has come in he’s always tried to protect us,” he said. “He’s always tried to make the environment really calm for us so that we can go out there and do what we need to do on the football field.

“After the summer, we all had to come away and look at ourselves. None of us were proud of those performances and I don’t think it is for Gareth to shoulder all of that blame.

“We’ve got players in our squad that have played at the highest level, and we need to take some of that responsibility and start to put some of these performances right, and win football matches.

“That is what we are here for. We are not a country here to just take part, we want to win things. We’ve spoken as a collective and I think we are in the right state to put things right.”

Sky Sports News senior reporter Rob Dorsett: “It was pretty defiant from Gareth Southgate.

“He has a tricky line to walk, recognising England’s results, towards the back end of last season and against Italy at the San Siro on Friday night, have simply not been good enough and accepting the bad feeling from the supporters, who have booed him at the end of the last two matches.

“But on the other hand, he is trying to talk the players up and put a positive message out there ahead of the World Cup because it is only just over 50 days away from England playing their first game of the tournament against Iran on November 21.

“He can’t have negativity around the squad right now, so it is a difficult balance to strike. This is the most difficult time he has had in his six years as England manager, but he so also trying to remind everyone that England have done very well in the last two tournaments.

“I don’t think it is any surprise to see Raheem Sterling selected to sit alongside Southgate at the press conference because Southgate knows Sterling very well. They have been together since the U21s in 2013 and Sterling was only 17 when he was in the England U21 side.

“Southgate became somewhat of a father figure to him back then and he stood by him when Sterling was getting criticism in the early part of his England career. So, now it was a little bit of roles reversed and a chance for Sterling to talk up the England manager.”

This is what social media users said as Gareth Southgate speaks on his future as England manager – in a message to fans wanting him sacked…

@johndicko14: Gareth Southgate has absolutely no idea how to use the players at his disposal. As soon as England face a decent team, they’re done. He’ll be West Brom manager this time next year.

@DanSFC94: Gareth Southgate is an imposter. We’re going out at the group stage 👍

@unkel_k: No Tomori ? Words can’t describe how stupid that decision is. Man should be starting tonight

@PhillipsTony21: Good, wouldn’t want Trent getting injured in a meaningless game.

@ArunMS_: Any reason why Tomoris missing out is it just Southgate being Southgate? Won Serie A, played a massive part + was also one of europes best centre backs if we are talking about performances so dont see why he hasnt been involved especially with him playing a rb at cb for pace?

@CorkyMorris: Southgate is a fraud. Total joke. Fella wouldn’t get a job in the championship.

@sjam29: Southgate is a fraud.

@Greenland_Leon: Leaving Tomori out is an absolute shambles.

@CallumJ_bfc: fuck me he’s actually put Ivan in the squad

@PAULWILSON1000: It’s nice of Southgate to tell us to find something else to do when the world cups on this early

@JJSuggitt95: England’s best centre-back getting 0 minutes in our last two games before the World Cup. What a fucking joke.

@paulmcnally01: 😂😂 @TrentAA not included in the @England squad what an absolute joke. Gareth Southgate hates him & hates creative players at the same time. Just prefers players who run & defend. Embarrassing on every level. Be starting for the majority of top nations. @FootballAssoc

@louorns: If you’re leaving out Tomori for Maguire. There’s a fundamental issue with the coaching set up and selection process going on at England

@LukeCarey1881: When we needed grealish the most he’s bloody suspended

@AlexJanePereira: Tomori not playing, are you joking me. What is Southgate doing 🤦🏽‍♀️

@JoshJnr14: Shocking from Southgate. What has Tomori got to do to get a look in. And Maguire is always a constant.

@MrTobyn_Seebohm: No Tomori 😭😭😭 please sack him

@hdaws5: What’s the point in picking them if they won’t even get a look in. How Tomori isn’t picked is baffling

@domhayes6: Between hardly playing trent and now dropping Tomori to most likely play that useless Minecraft head maguire its just comical. Hope England get pumped

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