England has its new manager in Southgate; here's what you should know about him
The Englishman has been named the boss of the Three Lions on a permanent basis
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2 min read
The English national team has its new boss, and it's actually its current one. Gareth Southgate was appointed caretaker after the September firing of Sam Allardyce, who took the job just two months prior, and now gets the permanent job on a four-year deal, the English FA announced.
📰 @GarethSouthgate has been appointed as the new #ThreeLions manager. pic.twitter.com/i7bcKTFVm7
— England (@England) November 30, 2016
The 46-year-old Watford-born manager was the expected pick among many English fans, so the news comes as little surprise. But what do you need to know about him and this move? Here it is.
He has a fantastic record as a coach
Southgate has held two coaching jobs before this one. He led Middlesbrough from 2006-09, guiding the team to a 12th-place finish in the Premier League before being relegated after the 2008-9 season. He then became the coach of the England U21 team in August of 2013, helping the team qualify for the U21 Euro Cup in 2015.
Southgate managed the U21 team in 32 matches, winning 26, losing three and drawing three. That's an impressive winning percentage of 81.
He has a ton of talent to work with, more so than most England managers in recent time
Despite the popularity of English soccer, especially with the Premier League, it really hasn't been a hot-bed for world class talent aside from the likes of Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney in recent time. But this upcoming generation of players has loads of talent as the nation looks to get back to contending for titles, something, one could argue, that hasn't happened in decades.
The team has young Tottenham star Dele Alli, looked at as one of the future gems in world soccer. There are players who have shown quality lately like Raheem Sterling at Manchester City, and then promising attacker Marcus Rashford of Manchester United. Daniel Sturridge of Liverpool is also a name, although an experienced one, who could factor in big time into Southgate's plans. With those players and others like Michail Antonio of West Ham, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain of Arsneal, the future is bright under the right coach.
He will be judged on results, plain and simple
England manager is one of the toughest, most demanding jobs in world soccer. Over the last 10 years, the team has had six coaches, including Stuart Pearce as caretaker in 2012. Fabio Capello coached 42 games, Roy Hodgson got 56 and Allardyce had just one.
The expectations are high, though higher than they should be, and you have to do really, really well to keep your job. That means deep runs in tournaments, like at least the quarterfinals of a World Cup and semifinals of a Euro. The last time England made the quarterfinals of a World Cup was 2006. As for semis at a Euro, try 1996 -- hence the coaching changes.
Southgate is going to have make those deep runs to survive. We'll see if he is the guy to do it come the World Cup in 2018.
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