Scotland will miss Gareth Southgate, a special England manager in more ways than one
Gareth Southgate said he supported Scotland in the 1978 World Cup and has been praised for speaking out on social issues
The resignation of Gareth Southgate as England football manager shows just how fine the margins of elite sport really are. At the last Euros, his side reached the final, only to lose on penalties. At this year’s event, they lost to a goal in the dying minutes of the game.
Had things gone just slightly differently, he could have been hailed as a sporting giant after two tournament wins and, doubtless, summoned to Buckingham Palace to become Sir Gareth, joining World Cup-winning manager Sir Alf Ramsay as a knight of the realm.
The Scotland-England rivalry has always been keen. Perhaps it was Southgate’s admission that he supported Scotland during the 1978 World Cup, or something about his manner, or even his politics – Keir Starmer praised him yesterday for being a “thoughtful spokesperson” on social issues – but he helped take some of the heat out of it.
Scotland manager Steve Clarke once remarked that Southgate, who he said he had known for a long time, was ”a nice man”. Most members of the Tartan Army, we suspect, would echo that sentiment.
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