It’s right Southgate steps down – but I have the perfect replacement

So often in sport, those who put in the most work don’t always reap the most awards. England failed to lift trophies under Gareth Southgate, but he did help transform the team into one that is respected worldwide, and a source of national pride. And he’s a fabulous example of how personality and perceptions can really shape how someone is seen and described.

Southgate’s resignation as England manager has been largely greeted by fans and the media with respect and gratitude. But it hasn’t always been this way. If you did one of those word cloud generators, I’d bet good money ‘boring’, ‘safe’, ‘dull’ and ‘loser’ would be prominent. Some of those words have been applied to another sporting legend, tennis player Andy Murray, but I never thought those things about him, and I don’t believe the same about Southgate.

I’ve met the former manager on a number of occasions and have always enjoyed his company. I’ve seen him treat the media with the utmost professionalism and candour. He’s never ducked tricky questions, and in fact has been happy to answer them, and done so with consideration and depth.

Southgate’s tenure hasn’t been easy, but he has handled it well. He’s been criticised by fans for his team selections, questioned by the media over his ability to win a trophy, and called part of the woke brigade by some politicians, for standing up on social issues. But I think the cups of beer thrown at him after the Slovenia game, was something as a proud Englishman, he felt was a disrespect too far.

England’s performances have often been a hard watch. Tactically Southgate has had his limitations at the business end of competitions, but he’s made England a respected team on the international stage.  I remember a time when the nation didn’t expect England to advance past the quarter-finals. Now anything less than a semi-final is seen as a failure. That’s because of Gareth Southgate. Look at the under aged England teams and the amount of talent that’s come through over the last 8 years – a large part of that is down to him.

So is the role of England manager now one of the hardest jobs to take on, because the bar is quite high? Or because of what Southgate has achieved, has the hard work been done? And who’s the best person to take England to victory?

Before I say who I think is the perfect candidate, I’ll say this; if I ran IFAB (International Football Association Board) or FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) I’d ban national teams from appointing foreign talent as manager. But as that’s not a rule, the best man for the job in my opinion is Carlo Ancelotti, though I haven’t heard his name being mentioned elsewhere.

Here’s why. The Italian has proved he can manage upwards. He’s been at Real Madrid twice – is there a harder hierarchy at club level to manage than Los Blancos? The biggest names in world football have played and loved playing for him. So managing down isn’t an issue. He’s already managed twice in England, Chelsea and Everton, so has experience of the country. He can handle the FA. I don’t place too much importance on a history of winning, but there isn’t a more decorated manager in world club football. He would command the respect of not only the players but the fan base too. But the most important thing I hear from England fans is style of play. Ancelotti’s football has always been tactically astute and a pleasure to watch. Importantly, I think he’s gettable. He wouldn’t be cheap but he’d embrace being the guy who can bring England their first trophy in 60 years.

I’m not sure if many others agree with my choice. I’m looking online and listening to the radio and I’m hearing the same mistakes from the England fanbase. Everyone wants the FA to appoint a big name manager. A glamour appointment. Someone who’s won it all and oozes personality: Jurgen Klopp, Jose Mourinho or Pep Guardiola all mentioned. Not necessarily the right fit for the England role.

What does Southgate do next? I wouldn’t like to see him enter club management because I don’t think he’d be very good at it. Club and international management are different skill sets, and I don’t think he has what’s required to succeed in the week to week running of a club squad. If he does stay in football, he should be running the FA. But if he was deployed beyond the game, I’d love to see him as Culture Secretary, with his understanding of sport and its fans.

Gareth, at times it was fun, at times it was a chore. But you took England to great heights, at a time when it was needed the most.