Maybe but Sir Ralph( that was meant to say Sir Alf, but just maybe....) = 20 Southgates. It is a shame that our national team is managed by a guy who was not good enough at club level. Please don't start me, Brian Clough Yadda Yadda etc
It's a whole different thing, managing at club level, and at international level (especially with England). Not saying Southgate is a good manager, but look at how many successful club managers we've had, who did a sh*t job as England manager. Capello for example was atrocious. Hodgson was out of his depth completely in 2014/16, and then went on to do a great job with Crystal Palace. I could go on but it is too painful. The FA basically hires managers who seem to offer a fix to the previous manager's obvious flaw, but then the new manager brings his own set of brand new flaws. Southgate might not be Brian Clough, but was hired - in my opinion - because he is sort of an anti-ego. He will be hands off when it comes to our top players, and won't boss anyone around too much. I think that's the sort of thing our lot need. They just need to be pandered to, and if they are happy enough, hopefully they will be motivated. In 2018 the squad seemed happy, and look how well they did. Compare that to 2010 when Capello was in charge.
Tend to agree. I think at international level, a lot of it is about fostering team harmony, camaraderie and also being able to effectively communicate ideas in a short period of time without overwhelming the players or requiring loads of training time. Oh and the ability to handle the press. I think Southgate manages to do the above well. Weirdly, it’s why I suspect Harry R*dknapp might have been a decent England manager. I’m not sure it’s a job for the more developmental style hands-on coaches who need a whole lot more contact time and need to see/communicate with their players on a daily basis. Right, off to wash my mouth out.
Yep, agree with both you and @Che’s Godlike Thighs on this one - it much more the job of the team spirit builder and psychologist, than the developer. A modicum of tactical nous would go a long way though, and that's where I fear we/Southgate will and do struggle. I don't think there's any issue with Southgate's treatment of the squad and how he goes about his business there, but I don't think he's tactically great (and that will find you out in the end, both externally and with the players), and I also think he's a bit bloody obvious and cowed when it comes to selection.
The weird thing is that for the first couple of years his selections seemed bold, and I wouldn't mind betting that he's picked more non big club players than any other manager this century, but it seems to have changed a bit this time round. External pressures perhaps? Who knows but it wouldn't surprise me. I'd be interested to know if there's as much club v country wars in other big European nations. I find the constant stick Southgate gets a bit sad tbh. He clearly has his limitations but as mentioned above he also does a lot of other stuff well. I think he's done a good job of transitioning from the old guard to the new and also made us better in possession (long way to go there still mind!) Yes it may all go wrong this time round but I think the bloke deserves more support than he's getting. He's passionate about the team (been a criticism of past managers), handles the media well, and last time out took us to a stage that only Sir Bobby and Sir Alf has taken us before. I still say the rest of Europe's ****ed now we can win penalty shootouts
Wouldn't surprise me either. Did you see the media & social media onslaught when TAA was left out of the March squad?
This is absolutely spot on. Capello is a great example as he is an incredible manager that has won the lot at club level. Yet, he was a international flop. He likely didn't give a crap about squad harmony, morale and whether the players were enjoying their time away with one another. At club level you can afford to be strict and focus on discipline because the players get to go back to their normal lives and family as soon as training/match ends. On international duty, there is no normal life, so if the environment is disciplined and strict, the players will be in that environment until their tournament is over. I feel this is why Capello was amazing in qualifying but crap in the actual tournament. Also, the need for a harmonious and relaxed environment is also more important in international tournaments because the pressure is so much greater than at club - both because every game is must win as well as the intense worldwide media/fan interest.
It's instilling an arrogance and belief in a squad across the course of a tournament too. We have the players this time around (bar CM), and our attacking bunch can do some serious damage to any team. We just have to get the psychology right.
Which is why the Germans are historically so good in tournament football. They have an almost unshakeable belief that they can win. We have pretty much always lacked that.
Funny life is like that - believe you can do it and you will do it. Daily life coaching session over.
Seeing Fonte line up for Portugal tonight against Spain, having just won Ligue 1, screams huge mistake from a Saints point of view. Not only have we tarnished the memory and legacy of a club legend but we have missed on 5(+) years of a top quality and very reliable centre back and leader for what, £8m was it?
Maybe not tarnished, but I now think "what could have been". We all love him but imagine his status had he had another 150 appearances - with his 2 promotions you are approaching icon status at that level!
Anyone got any links to a good sweepstake kit? In my company we have me in the UK, a guy in Portugal a few in Manila then the rest in Atlanta and Florida areas (oh and one in Argentina) so I was going to pick 24 people in one hat, then the teams in the the other and do a live draw on the Monday meeting. Surprisingly a few are interested in it even though they think the football is the wrong shape.
Not only that Jack and Bedders would have become better players from playing alongside him too. We still have yet to replace his qualities as a team leader and captain too. Saints can make up for it by adding him to the coaching staff, maybe for the Academy after he retires.
