“No one will miss you” – Fans in ‘relief’ as Gareth Southgate announces decision to step down from England national team

Gareth Southgate has finally left his position as head coach of the English national team.

“No one will miss you” – Fans in ‘relief’ as Gareth Southgate announces decision to step down from England national team

Gareth Southgate (Image via Imago)

Gareth Southgate‘s reign with The Three Lions has finally come to an end. After a heartbreaking loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 final, Southgate has finally called time on his eight-year-long stay with England. The former England international took charge of the dugout on 102 separate occasions, winning 64 games and maintaining a 63% win rate.

Despite all the positives, Southgate’s biggest shortcoming is his most obvious one too – a lack of silverware. As the 53-year-old departs from his position, fans share bittersweet emotions on his farewell. While the numbers point to him being the most ‘successful’ English manager in the last 60 years, others claim that Southgate largely underperformed with a squad of such quality.

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The manager thanked everyone for the memories and expressed his pride on having the opportunity to manage The Three Lions. Southgate’s decision does not come as a shock given his admission earlier that he may leave the position if England fail to win the 2024 Euros.

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That being said, there were rumors that the FA are considering extending his stay with the national team up until the 2026 World Cup.

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Fans react to Gareth Southgate parting ways with the English national team

Gareth Southgate has been at the helm for England since 2016. The manager has led his side to two major European finals, even though both have ended in defeat. He also coached his side to the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup back in 2018. However, as the gaffer leaves his post, several fans made no effort to conceal their excitement.

Gareth Southgate
Gareth Southgate, despite a 63% win rate, has zero trophies to show for his time with The Three Lions (Via IMAGO)

A fan commented that players like Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold were finally free of their shackles. Another major criticism for Southgate was his extremely defensive style of play. Fans exclaimed that a new appointment will finally mean that England will play free-flowing attacking football. Names like Jurgen Klopp and Graham Potter were thrown in the air as potential replacements for the job.

That being said, a few were appreciative of Southgate’s tenure claiming that even though the style of play was far from attractive, his results were consistent. As England look to rebuild once again, fans are confident that success isn’t far away. Amidst the uncertainty of who will take charge and who will make the starting line-up, fans have to ask when the trophy finally comes home. Only time will tell.

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