England

No excuses for England’s plight as Gareth Southgate faces his toughest test | Barney Ronay

15-Jun-2022 16:51:17 | Guardian

Supporters have turned on the manager after the Hungary humiliation – he is now a victim of his own success

“The case against Clevinger was open and shut. The only thing missing was something to charge him with.”

And so, tossed on the familiar tides of rage, shortsightedness and good old-fashioned English exceptionalism, it becomes necessary to defend Gareth Southgate. And in a way this is all quite comforting. Every England manager has two things in common. They all fail in the end; if only because there is no sane gauge of success. And they all tell us, in their own ways, exactly why England managers fail.