England Reborn Under Southgate

This FIFA World Cup has certainly been one to remember. Not just for the theatrics of a player some claim to be the best in the world, but also because it has in fact been an event to remember.

Japan have shown the world what a class act they are in the way they took their defeat against Belgium, and the state in which they left the dressing room. There have been some wonderful individual acts by individual players off the pitch, giving young fans moments they will cherish forever.

The VAR, as much as everyone was loathe to accept it at the World Cup Finals has been in the main a huge success, and handled superbly. The bar has now been set and leagues around the world are going to have to match this standard, or there will be a backlash from fans.

One of the joys of this World Cup has been that many of the usual favourites have bowed out early. Belgium, who were many people’s dark horses are still in the competition, but few expected Russia to make the quarter finals. Even French fans only dared to dream that they would make the semi-finals and be in with a chance of a second title in the last week. Croatian fans know the ability of their players but are only too well aware how often they can self-destruct. Before the separation of the Baltic states Yugoslavia was often referred to as the “Brazilians of Europe.” It has been great to see them fulfil their potential. (Also because I have them in a sweepstake!)

England though have truly surprised many of their own fans.

In fact coach Gareth Southgate has been magnificent, and achieved something that many felt was impossible. First and foremost he has managed to win over the media. He is intelligent, thoughtful, quietly spoken, and modest yet still possesses a competitive steel that he has managed to instil in his players. He has made waistcoats a fashion statement, and at the same time taken the mickey out of himself.

He selected a squad that received criticism. Yet it was a squad with no superstars. It was a squad that he believed he could weld into a team. Yet few believed he could lead England to only their third semi final at a World Cup. Their first in 28 years; there was a gap of 24 years between the first and second appearance.

His team has managed to beat the penalty shoot-out bogey, and from that has grown in confidence. So too has a nation.

The scenes in England are remarkable. People who would normally go out of their way to avoid football are engrossed. They know the names of the players, and suddenly they too have opinions on the players and the way the team is playing.

Australia has a race that stops a nation. England currently have a football team that stops a nation.

Yesterday during the quarter final match against Sweden, the streets were deserted. The M1 had the least traffic on it for years. If you walked outside there was no one. Pubs were packed as were lounge rooms as everyone tuned into the game.

Shops were telling staff not to come to work as they knew that no one would be coming in. People who had to work were calling in with all manner of excuses, as to why they could not be there. Some employers sadly did not get the memo, as they would not allow staff who did turn up to have the game on, despite no customers.

To show just how much the World Cup has grabbed the nation by the lapels and shaken it, League cricket matches around the country started earlier than normal so that they could have a longer than normal lunch break, so that everyone could watch the game. Luckily it did not go to a penalty shoot-out! This is truly remarkable. The land that professes to be the home of Cricket stopping for a football match? WG Grace will be spinning in his grave.

For years the press has built up England teams. For years the fans have clung to blind hope that they can repeat the feats of the heroes of ’66, yet knowing deep down that they were never good enough.

Sure, there have been upsets in this tournament that have assisted England, but this team has captured the imagination of the nation more than any in many years. Is it because there are no superstars, no big name players, no egos? Is it because every player this time around appears to be far more humble than in the past?

Is it their manager? Is it the fact that everyone knows that Southgate missed a crucial penalty for England in a major tournament so would love him to succeed? Is it that he had never really managed at a club for an extended period of time so no one really knew him?

Certainly there has been talk that the foreign managers that led England to World Cups never understood what the game meant to the people. That they were disconnected from the fans, and aloof.

Southgate clearly is a man of the people. He manages his own emotions superbly. He stays calm and yet showed at the end of the game what victory meant to him. His gesture at the final whistle going to console the Colombian player who missed the all important penalty that saw his team victorious showed that he has the human touch. Having been there and done the same he knew first hand how Carlos Bacca felt.

His actions have made a country proud, as have his team. They have so far recreated an England that many felt had died. They have projected an image of England that many want the world to see. England was never about bold and brash. It was always about being humble, fair and winning the right way. Some may argue that the Group game against Belgium was not played in the right spirit, but that is forgotten already by many, as they dream of a second World Cup Final.

It is amazing the power of sport when it is harnessed correctly. Whether England beat Croatia, whether they win the World Cup, lose it or play off for third, a generation has witnessed something unique. Older generations have witnessed something they felt that would never be seen in Britain again, the people being united. Sharing in one purpose, one wish, one dream. It is a truly special moment in time and an incredible thing to witness.

There is but one downside, the constant playing, singing and use of the phrase “Football’s coming home.” Yet the truth is a nation believes it is.