Gareth Southgate leaves England job with head held high but without trophy

Gareth Southgate leaves the England job with his head held high but without the trophy he so craved after another near miss.

Three years on from the agonising penalty shoot-out defeat to Italy at Wembley, a second straight European Championship final ended in heartbreak as swashbuckling Spain triumphed 2-1 on Sunday.

Southgate was peppered with questions about his future in the bowels of the Olympiastadion, where his body language and choice of words indicated the decision had been made before Tuesday’s announcement.

Euro 2024 was a roller coaster of emotions for a manager that went from seeing beer cups thrown at him to within touching distance of winning the cup in Berlin.

The wounds of defeat in a second successive continental final will take a long time to heal, but overcoming painful moments is nothing new for someone who tasted a crushing low at Euro 96.

The scars from his crucial spot-kick miss in the semi-final shoot-out loss to Germany at Wembley deeply impacted the introverted kid from Crawley.

For all he achieved in the 20 years that followed, the pain of that moment meant Southgate was reluctant to put himself in the national firing line again.

It is for that reason that the bookmakers’ favourite to succeed Roy Hodgson after the humiliating Euro 2016 last-16 exit to Iceland ruled himself out of the running for a job eventually taken by Sam Allardyce.

It was a decision that Southgate swiftly regretted but, due to a remarkable turn of events, was quickly rectifiable.

‘Big Sam’ made an unexpected exit from the post after 67 days and just one match at the helm, leading to the England Under-21s boss to be parachuted in as temporary manager.

The 57-cap former defender grasped the nettle and a promising four-game interim stint earned a permanent deal – a whirlwind few months that helped redefine English football.

Southgate, resplendent in his waistcoat, led England on an unforgettable run to the World Cup semi-finals in 2018, reconnecting the national team with the country. They even won a penalty shoot-out.

Back-to-back Euros finals followed either side of a frustrating 2022 World Cup quarter-final exit to eventual runners-up France as England enjoyed unparalleled consistency on the biggest stages.

Southgate flourished in the role as coach and conductor of the national mood, having come a long way from the shy, reclusive boy whose formative years came in West Sussex having been born in Watford in 1970.

The son of Clive and Barbara, he credits his upbringing for shaping him into the person, and coach, he became.

“I am fortunate that I am the type of guy who you have to prod a lot to get a bark,” Southgate said. “That’s just how I am.

“He also had a coach’s mentality – he was always looking after other people. I think we all grow up looking at those figures in our lives and, whether it is subconscious or not, you mimic and take on those traits.

“I owe a huge debt to him for lots of things, but that’s why I am the way I am.”

Another defining factor is his drive to prove people wrong, which Southgate – who started as a midfielder like his idol Bryan Robson – first had to do after receiving a setback aged 13.

Knocked sideways by Southampton’s decision to release him, he dug in determined to prove them wrong and was picked up by Crystal Palace, where he impressed but former youth team coach Alan Smith advised him to become a travel agent unless he toughened up.

Southgate did and built a strong bond with Smith, who would go on to make the youngster captain of the Eagles aged just 22, and they won promotion together from the second tier in 1994.

The defender got the nickname ‘Nord’ during his time at Selhurst Park as coach Wally Downes thought he sounded like TV host Denis Norden. It was something Southgate embraced, co-authoring the book ‘Woody & Nord: A Football Friendship’ with fellow youth team graduate Andy Woodman.

The pair remain close and the former England boss is godfather to Woodman’s son Freddie, who currently plays in goal for Preston.

Southgate met wife Alison during his time at Palace, who he left for Aston Villa in 1995 and broke onto the international stage ahead of Euro 96 – the first of four major tournaments he went to as a player.

The centre-back enjoyed his time in the midlands, with a League Cup win the highlight, before making a £6.5million move in 2001 to Middlesbrough and captaining them to their first major trophy.

Boro were agonisingly close to adding to the 2004 League Cup triumph as Steve McClaren’s side lost the UEFA Cup final two years later – a match that brought the curtain down on an impressive playing career.

McClaren took over England after that European run and eyebrows were raised when Southgate succeeded him at Boro, especially as the freshly-retired defender did not have requisite UEFA Pro Licence qualification.

Handed a five-year deal and tasked with revitalising the squad in challenging financial conditions on Teesside, he guided them to 12th and 13th-place finishes before slipping out of the top flight in 2009.

Southgate was relieved of his duties that October and has not managed a club since, spending time doing TV work before joining the Football Association as head of elite development in February 2011.

The former defender contributed to the youth development review, with particular focus on changes to kids’ football, and also supported coaching strategies in the build-up to St George’s Park opening.

Southgate played a part in the ‘England DNA’ model and succeeded former team-mate Stuart Pearce as Under-21s boss in 2013, overseeing victory in the Toulon tournament in 2016.

That success helped make him favourite for a job that he did not initially feel ready for after Hodgson fell on his sword immediately after the Iceland debacle.

Southgate worked as a technical observer for UEFA during those Euros, but it was when he returned home and watched former Palace team-mate Chris Coleman fearlessly leading Wales to the semi-final that the penny dropped.

He watched their quarter-final win against Belgium next to his son, Flynn, at their Harrogate home knowing he had backed away from the England job – the kind of challenge he would have told his boy to take on.

That is part of the reason he stepped out of his comfort zone and into the limelight when Allardyce departed, changing the course of English football.

His quiet leadership saw him go from stopgap to a standard-bearer, with Southgate showing a caring, self-deprecating nature and tactical acumen that some seem desperate to ignore.

He fostered an impressive togetherness and team spirit, thanks in no small part to his willingness to back and stand alongside his players on societal issues such as racism.

England’s players loved him and the Football Association wanted him to extend his eight-year reign, but the likeable, eloquent coach has decided to step away.

Southgate may not have secured his place in immortality, but he leaves having restored the national team’s credibility and turned them into regular tournament contenders.

He led by example off the field and to within touching distance of glory on it, but someone else will have to bring football home.