Southgate and England

[roydo]

Martinez's approach to a game is to place greater wmphasis on attack as the best form of defence and then trust your defence when called on to be halfway professional

Which is why he is a poor manager. Wing and a prayer stuff.

 

[davek]

Which is why he is a poor manager. Wing and a prayer stuff.

It just makes him a non-elite manager.

What manager outside the very best in the world can have the skill to put together a perfectly balanced team and win things? Maybe the Belgian team could be coached by someone else defensively better than they are. But would they have suffered just 3 losses in 33 games? I doubt it.

Maybe it's in the eye of the beholder. But objectivley he's done good things at all his appointments at every level...which makes him a very good coach at what he does, IMO.

 

[Daveysgingerlovechild]

The litmus test is if England have a sustained series of decent tournament showings.

Every world cup you get a surprise package semi finalist. Turkey in recent times, ffs. Question is if England go back to the misery of more recent preceding tournaments.

 

[roydo]

It just makes him a non-elite manager.

What manager outside the very best in the world can have the skill to put together a perfectly balanced team and win things? Maybe the Belgian team could be coached by someone else defensively better than they are. But would they have suffered just 3 losses in 33 games? I doubt it.

Maybe it's in the eye of the beholder. But objectivley he's done good things at all his appointments at every level...which makes him a very good coach at what he does, IMO.

Thats fair. Non elite, half decent, massive blind spot.

Without the blind spot, you have just described Gareth Southgate.

Edit. Soz, I have just described Southgate.

 

[davek]

Thats fair. Non elite, half decent, massive blind spot.

Without the blind spot, you have just described Gareth Southgate.

Edit. Soz, I have just described Southgate.

Southgate is as far away from being a very good manager as Martinez is from being Guardiola or Ancelotti.

 

[roydo]

Southgate is as far away from being a very good manager as Martinez is from being Guardiola or Ancelotti.

Oh sure. But for whatever reason, he seems to be getting a tune out of the England kids. How long it will last, no idea. He was a dreadful club manager, but sometimes, things click. Ranieri at Leicester being the laziest example.

 

[MikeH72]

Oh sure. But for whatever reason, he seems to be getting a tune out of the England kids. How long it will last, no idea. He was a dreadful club manager, but sometimes, things click. Ranieri at Leicester being the laziest example.

Worth remembering he was only about 35 when he managed Boro and it was his first ever job. It’ll be interesting to see how far he can go with the England team.

 

[roydo]

Worth remembering he was only about 35 when he managed Boro and it was his first ever job. It’ll be interesting to see how far he can go with the England team.

Based on my experience of watching England since Poland stopped us qualifying for the 74 WC, its been probably the most enjoyable 12 months since.