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England news: Gareth Southgate is ready to cast aside the memories of '96 and prove his worth to the nation

Many of England's current players were barely two years old when Southgate stepped up for that fateful penalty at Euro 96. He's been handed another bite of the apple - this time as manager

Mark Ogden
Chief Football Correspondent
Tuesday 04 October 2016 07:56 BST
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Southgate looks on from the sidelines during England U21's international friendly against Germany U21s last year
Southgate looks on from the sidelines during England U21's international friendly against Germany U21s last year

Marcus Rashford had not even been born when Gareth Southgate raised his hand to take that fateful spot-kick for England against Germany at Euro 96.

Dele Alli was just two months old, while Raheem Sterling (1), John Stones (2), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (2) and Jesse Lingard (3) were all too young to have their football mindset influenced by the moment which arguably still defines the career of the man now charged – in the short-term at least – with leading them on the international stage with England.

Having been sacked as Middlesbrough manager back in 2009, Southgate takes charge of England for the first time as interim manager against Malta on Saturday. Having been away from the celebrity glare of the Premier League for so long now, many of his players may not even know that the guy they knew as the Under-21 manager actually had a not-too-bad career before entering the unglamorous world of St George’s Park’s coaching system.

Fifty-seven England caps – one of which saw him play as captain against South Korea – and appearances at a World Cup and two European Championships ensure that Southgate will be able to look each and every one of his players in the eye for however long he remains in charge of the national team.

Southgate has spent so long at St George’s Park and on ITV’s pundit rota that many of the new generation perhaps regard the 46-year-old as nothing more than a faceless figure from within the Football Association, but his CV highlights his pedigree and it is one he insists can make a crucial difference at international level.

“Some of the lads probably don’t know I played for England,” Southgate said. “But playing experiences are important and can give you a great advantage if you are prepared to work as a coach and you are prepared to really improve yourself as a coach.

“I worry when I hear people say we should fast-track coaches and we should make things easier to become a coach.

“I have learned in the seven years since I left Middlesbrough, which was a remarkable experience, that you have to dedicate yourself to the role. You are starting again.

Gareth Southgate has his penalty saved by Germany goalkeeper Andreas Köpke during the penalty shoot-out at the 1996 UEFA European Championships semi final match in London.

“There, I was like a young player at Crystal Palace that eight years later found himself as an England international. That is the period of time, as a coach, when you start to learn.

“It is a new vocation and you have to start from there. Then, if you have all those bits as a coach, the playing experiences at the highest level can help you relate to the players in a much closer way.

“The mentorship part can really help. Without both, the playing bit can help. But then if you haven’t got the first part, forget it.”

Southgate’s past matters. In the age of celebrity, profile often outweighs credentials and Southgate is neither a big-name nor a self-publicist.

Some of his players may be unaware of his playing achievements, while the football-supporting public may now regard him as an FA man rather than the midfielder who captained Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Boro in the Premier League at the same time as enjoying an international career spanning nine years.

But after starting out as a youngster rejected by Southampton, Southgate insists his football journey has prepared him for the job he now faces.

“If you are in football for a lifetime and you start somewhere like Crystal Palace, having been released by Southampton, you are building resilience,” he said. “We need our younger players to have that.

“All of those life experiences build you up to a moment where you realise it is time to step in and show that leadership and when I look around, I think who is better placed to do it? I feel that I am best placed.

“At some points in my career, I have under-estimated what those experiences have given me and the position they have put me in. But I am quite clear on that now.

“If you go back to Middlesbrough, at the age of 35, with no coaching experience, standing in the dressing-room with the likes of Mark Viduka, Mark Schwarzer and Jonathan Woodgate, I was nowhere near the level I am now, nowhere near. Yet we finished 12th and 13th.

Southgate during his time as Middlesbrough manager

“Now you get high-profile names in the Premier League finishing in those positions.”

If a high-profile name was available to the FA, a big-hitter with a proven track record, Southgate would not be looking beyond his four games in charge.

Indeed, it would probably only extend to two if the right man was ready to take the reins on a permanent basis.

But with no sign of Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, or even Brendan Rodgers, dropping everything at club level to ride to England’s rescue, Southgate can now take charge of his own destiny.

But does he want the job? Or is he happy to fill the void for seven weeks and then stand aside to go back to the under-21s?

If he was attempting to play that one cool and keep his options open, Southgate spoke a little too often about his pride in doing the job to offer a convincing case to suggest he really does not know what his instincts are telling him.

“I think experience gives you a feel of what is right at certain times,” he said. “My feel was that this was a moment when it was right to step up and put myself forward. I felt best placed to do that.

“We have got to give the players the best opportunity to succeed in the three qualifiers coming up. I think for me to take the team, along with Steve Holland, and keep the support staff around that was there, give us that opportunity.”

Gareth Southgate during his playing days at Crystal Palace in 1994

But three weeks ago, Southgate insisted he was not ready for it?

“I am always comparing myself against the highest possible person in our field,” he said. “This situation is different.

“This is where circumstance throws up a situation where you have got to assess quickly who is the right person to do this – and who is going to do it well. I feel that I am in the right position to do that.

“Do I feel that I am the right person at this moment in time to do this particular role? Yes. Absolutely. Anything else moving forward is something that needs to be considered.

“I started kicking a ball around with my Dad and my Granddad and my one aim was to play for England at Wembley. I fulfilled that dream.

“I love the sport, I love watching it, I love taking part in it. So to be manager of my country, having played for my country as many times as I did, then I feel it is an honour and privilege and I am really looking forward to it.

Southgate faces a new chapter in his long-running association with the English national side

“It’s what I love. Not just football. That challenge, having to go across the white line and put yourself on the block.

“That is what it is always about. Otherwise I would still be sitting with Keano (Roy Keane) and Dicko (Lee Dixon) on the side!

“At times you have got to step forward and you have got to take a risk. You have got to put yourself in that situation. To be in that position is a privilege.

“I get to do it for seven weeks and so few people in their lives get that opportunity.”

With three home games – against Malta, Scotland and Spain – and a trip to Slovenia lying ahead of him, Southgate knows he has the ball at his feet.

He just needs to show that his conversion rate is better than it was at Wembley 20 years ago in order to get the job for real.

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