Gareth Southgate: It’s now or never to finish his England story

He's been public enemy number one, the nation's hero, a waistcoat-wearing fashion icon, and a man who reignited England's love of their national team.

And now at Euro 2024, Gareth Southgate is a manager with the weight of the world on his shoulders. With a golden generation of talent at his disposal, Southgate is expected to end England's 58-year wait for international silverware this summer.

So, can he do it?

Can he end England's five decades of hurt?

Can he dispel the demons of his own infamous Euro 96 penalty miss?

How will Gareth Southgate finish his England story?

To kick things off, let's go right back to the start of Southgate's England story - Euro 96. Back then, the future manager was a fresh-faced defender with just four caps to his name, and was probably the least recognisable player in the whole squad.

The back pages leading into the tournament had instead been saved for superstars like Alan Shearer, Paul Gascoigne, Teddy Sheringham, and dentist chairs like the one the England players had been pouring vodka down their throats in over in Hong Kong on the eve of the tournament. Different times, eh?

By the end of the summer, Southgate had replaced them all in the papers...but perhaps not in the way he'd hoped.

Despite his lack of experience, Southgate was thrust into the England starting lineup throughout the group stages, being chosen as the man to play alongside Tony Adams in the heart of the defence.

Things went pretty damn well to start with.

Southgate helped England to a number of solid defensive performances, with the team conceding just two open play goals en route to the semi-finals. The defender's outing against Spain was particularly impressive, being labelled by Sir Bobby Charlton as having been 'world class'.

Southgate and a bang in-form England side, fresh off the back of breaking their penalty hoodoo against Spain and spurred on by fans singing ‘Football’s Coming Home’ - this is when that all started if you’re wondering - were expected to see off their old enemies Germany at Wembley Stadium in the semi-finals, and book their place in a first final since 1966.

After a cagey 1-1 draw however, England’s Euros 96 fate was to be decided on penalties.

10 penalties came and went, all scored. Then, in sudden death, up stepped Southgate.

After a very, very long run-up and a weak side-footed strike, Andreas Kopke dived to his right to save Southgate’s penalty and end England’s hopes for another year.

The English press were typically brutal in the aftermath of Southgate's miss. Reporters camped outside his mother's house, his ex-girlfriend was offered £40,000 to spill the beans on his personal life, a punk band call The Business wrote a song with the chorus "Southgate's going home", and even the Prime Minister John Major called him Gary. 

The disrespect came from everywhere.

Southgate, somehow took it in his stride, appearing in a Pizza Hut ad with fellow penalty shootout villains Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle. 

"It's painful...still...always"

- Gareth Southgate on Euro 96 penalty miss

That story of England’s Euro 96 heartbreak and the scapegoating of Southgate after missing a fateful penalty played out at basically every tournament after that.

In 1998, Argentina beat England on penalties and David Beckham was made public enemy number one for being sent off.

In 2006, it was Portugal this time who beat England, yes, on penalties, and Wayne Rooney was shamed by the media for being sent off in that game too.

That vicious cycle was brought to an end when Southgate took over as England manager in 2016.  

He didn’t have the most glowing of résumés prior to taking the job, with mediocre spells as Middlesbrough and England Under-21 boss being the highlights. The England senior team weren’t in a great position themselves either, having been knocked out of Euro 2016 in embarrassing fashion by Iceland a few months prior.

Drafted in first as interim boss, Southgate earned himself a four-year contract thanks to a draw with Spain, and a thumping 3-0 win over arch rivals Scotland.

Soon after taking the job on a permanent basis, Southgate and the new crop of young talent he integrated into the senior set-up booked their place at the 2018 World Cup.

Remarkably, the World Cup in Russia was a tournament that England fans went into with rather tempered expectations.

And with the pressure off, England excelled.

After cruising through the group stages, Southgate’s England would win a penalty shootout - yes, they actually won a penalty shootout - against Colombia to book a place in the quarter-finals. For the first time since 1990, they wouldn’t fall at the quarter-final hurdle either, beating Sweden 2-0.

The semi-finals would prove to be a bridge too far, as a Luka Modric-inspired Croatia booked a place in the final at their expense.

It didn’t really matter though.

Despite the defeat, Southgate had managed to rekindle a nation’s love of their football team.

Made England fans actually enjoy cheering on their team again.

And even upped the sales of waistcoats up and down the county…though we’re not sure that was a good thing.

After that World Cup run, England fans' expectations sky-rocketed once again, as did Southgate’s stock.

The England manager received an OBE, had a smash-hit National Theatre play written about his career, and was even named an Honorary Yorkshireman by Welcome to Yorkshire.

Riding the crest of a wave of goodwill, Southgate led an extremely talented Three Lions team to the Euro 2020 final - in 2021, thanks Covid - famously beating Germany at Wembley along the way. With a nation expecting victory over Italy, and despite Luke Shaw giving England an early lead, it wasn’t to be.

A Leonardo Bonucci goal and yet more penalty shootout heartbreak would follow, with Bukayo Saka missing the final penalty.

Like they had with Southgate previously, people attempted to scapegoat Saka for the loss, but it was something that the England boss wouldn’t let happen again. Instead, Southgate shouldered the blame, saying that he chose the penalty takers so the loss was on him. 

After that disappointment, and with a constant influx of new exciting talent coming into the senior set-up, pressure on Southgate to get England over the line only built further. 

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar, in which yet another penalty miss - this time from captain Harry Kane - would help decide England’s fate. It proved to be Southgate’s biggest disappointment as manager to date, losing 2-1 to France in the quarter-finals - the earliest exit of his tenure. 

Now at the fourth international tournament of his reign, and with one of the most talented squads in English football history at his disposal, it seems like now or never for Southgate’s England at Euro 2024.

He’s come so close to ending England’s wait for international glory before, both as a player and as a manager.

And now, surely, is the time he does it.

The time Gareth Southgate finally wins with England.

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