Well done Southgate

I was born in 1972, hardly had any tournament football until my teens, then 18 before we made any real impact. After that it was another 25 years of quarters at best (and a non qualification). So Southgate to me has brought unprecedented success, semis and finals are something that was sadly missing for most of my first 45 years on this planet.

 

Imagine being German, Brazilian or Italian where it's the minimum requirement.

 

Aye, imagine how disappointed they are right now.

While we look forward to our 2nd consecutive euro final.

 

Not his biggest fan at all but we're in the final, fair play

 

The subs worked, but it was pretty obvious that they should have been brought on earlier. Might have won more comfortably then.

 

Or we might not.

 

'Minimum requirement'

3 tournament wins in 42 years for Italy.
6 tournament wins in 50 years for Germany.

It's not a minimum requirement to win anything for anyone - because that's daft.

 

You are right, of course. The point I am making is that it was not a stroke of genius on Southgate's part to bring on Watkins and Palmer. These substitutions had occurred to a lot of people. Personally, I thought Gordon should have been sent on too, rather than Shaw.

 

To fair, the Dutch mixed it up second half & it worked, to a point. You don’t get everything you’re own way at this level of football. That’s what people don’t understand? Southgate got the subs right, but the whole country was calling for the same..

 

You would hope not with the talent they have, but when a team tries to outplay us we make them look ordinary. We keep the ball better than any other team and when there's space, we can open up the opposition better than any other team.

If a team sits back and tries hitting us on the break, as every opposition team has done so far, we're not vulnerable as such, but we look beatable.

There's only Holland that have tried to take us on, it lasted 45 minutes until the manager concluded they'd get murdered if they carried on.

I don't know what Spain will do, but it's more likely they'll play to win than entertain and the chances of doing so look better if you concentrate on stopping us playing.

 

England have to go after Spain from the first minute. Not let them breathe. Even if it means a bit of shithousery..

 

Yh, I do get your point. I too was calling for Watkins to come on, just thought he'd push the Dutch back with his running in behind. Palmer is an obvious one, as he's had an impact in every game.

I just think Southgate deserves some credit, perhaps he is getting the subs bang on right?

 

Vintage year that. But I'm sure I remember a semi-final when I was 24 as well as the one when I was 18.

 

You are right of course. Missed that out!! Not sure how it's possible to do that, but I did.

Although I also missed that it was 2 x non- qualifications too.

 

He's made England great again #MEGA

 

He made the right substitutions at the right time. He may well have brought them on earlier in another universe but we're not privy to that outcome.

Well done Gareth, you're not the most popular manager and I suspect you never will be, whatever you achieve. But, in terms of knock out games won, you're the most successful.