Southgate’s exit ‘is no surprise’, says Wiltshire FA boss

Gareth Southgate has managed England in 102 matches – including 2 finals

Gareth Southgate’s departure as England manager has been called “not a huge surprise” by the head of the Wiltshire Football Association (FA).

The Three Lions boss resigned on Tuesday following England’s 2-1 defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday.

Wiltshire FA CEO Simon Russell said the 53-year-old can leave with his head held high.

“What a fantastic, I think transformative, job he’s done in his eight years at the helm,” he said.

Simon added: “If you look beyond the obvious disappointment on Sunday night, if you think about where the England men’s team was when he took over and where it is now, I think they are in two very different places. I think he and his team deserve a lot of credit for that.”

Southgate took over England in 2016 following a humiliating exit at the Euros that year at the hands of Iceland under Roy Hodgson, but Sam Allardyce actually replaced him.

Allardyce was caught claiming he could offer tips to avoid player transfer rules in a newspaper investigation.

As well as two Euro finals, Southgate took England to their first World Cup semi-final since 1990 in 2018 before an agonizing defeat to France in the quarter-finals in 2022.

Simon praised the bond the former Middlesbrough captain has developed between team and nation – but said that was only part of it.

He told us that Southgate’s commitment to the long-term development of players, including their growth as individuals, is “absolutely to his credit”, saying it is something that can be implemented at grassroots level.

But he said the former centre-back’s exit from his role was no surprise.

Simon said: “When you get to the end of a cycle, you know the end of a tournament. I think there’s always an opportunity to reevaluate.”

An attacking manager?

While no one can doubt that the image of the men’s national team has been changed for the better, the ultimate glory has eluded Southgate and he has faced criticism for a pragmatic style of play.

However, Simon told us he doubts whether the FA will prescribe attacking football from the new boss.

He said: “I think they will be looking for someone familiar with that environment, dealing with players who are absolutely world-class and have ideas about what they want to achieve and how they want to achieve it.

“I don’t think they could be prescriptive in saying, well, we need someone who wants to do X&And as well as win games. I think good coaches understand what they want to achieve and know how they want to get there and that will be the most compelling.”

With names such as former Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp and ex-Chelsea managers Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino and Graham Potter all linked with the job, it has raised the possibility that the team may not be managed by an English manager.

But Simon pointed to the success of Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman, who won the Women’s Euro 2022, to stress that England’s coach need not be from England.

He said: “I was lucky enough to beat Saint George’s Park recently to see the lionesses practice and you know they have, you know they have a foreign coach and she has. She connects with the fans and the players, she gets it.

“She led that group of players and we know the Lionesses have enjoyed success.”

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