Matt Maher: England need to build, not tear it up and start again
How do you go about replacing the most successful England manager of the last half century?
That is the question now facing the Football Association as it begins the search for Gareth Southgate’s successor.
In truth, it is slightly more nuanced than that. How do you find someone who can build on Southgate’s work, without ripping up everything which came before it, might be the more accurate challenge facing chief executive Mark Bullingham and his team.
Though Southgate might have had his faults, most notably tactically, there is no doubt he got a lot more right than wrong during his near eight years in charge. The fact none of his predecessors since Sir Alf Ramsey had survived in the job for so many matches is proof enough alone.
To borrow a phrase from an Alan Partridge sitcom, it is evolution, not revolution, the FA requires. History suggests finding the right fit may not be easy. The obvious choice isn’t always the best choice.
Back in September 2016, Southgate wasn’t anyone’s choice for the permanent job. In terms of England appointments, he had the least senior managerial experience of anyone before him, having spent just three seasons in charge of Middlesbrough (and that tenure ended with him getting the sack).
Compare that record with Champions League and five-time Serie A winner Fabio Capello, who in 2007 was considered the perfect man to galvanise the Three Lions’ latest underachieving Golden Generation.
Yet while Capello had the knowhow and tactical nous, he never grasped the culture of English football and his reign ended up being an expensive mistake.
Southgate, who had worked in the FA youth system and was managing the under-21s before stepping up, had the advantage of knowing the environment.
