Gareth Southgate
Sir Gareth Southgate is an English former professional football manager and player, who played as a defender and midfielder.
A Crystal Palace academy graduate, Southgate made his senior debut for the club in 1990, and was appointed club captain in 1993, winning the First Division championship that season. Having made over 150 appearances for Palace, he was signed by Aston Villa in 1995, winning the League Cup in 1996 and reaching the 2000 FA Cup final, before departing for Middlesbrough, where he was appointed captain in 2002 and won another League Cup in 2004, as well as reaching the 2006 UEFA Cup final. Internationally, Southgate made 57 appearances for the England team between 1995 and 2004. He played every game of England's campaign in UEFA Euro 1996, though his penalty miss sent England out in the semi-final; he also featured in both the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000. He retired in 2006 at the age of 35, having made more than 500 league appearances across his three clubs.
Immediately following his retirement, Southgate was appointed manager of Middlesbrough, staying in the role until his dismissal in 2009. He also managed the England under-21 team from 2013 to 2016, before succeeding Sam Allardyce as the senior team's manager in 2016. He led England to the 2018 FIFA World Cup semi-finals, the UEFA Euro 2020 final, the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals, and the UEFA Euro 2024 final. In 2018 and 2021 he won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Coach Award.
Early life and education
Gareth Southgate was born on 3 September 1970 in Watford, Hertfordshire. He attended Padnell Infant School in Cowplain, Hampshire, along with Pound Hill Junior School and Hazelwick School in Crawley, West Sussex. As a schoolboy he supported Manchester United and his football hero was Bryan Robson. He left school with eight O-Levels at grades between A and C. He studied at Croydon College between 1987 and 1989, successfully completing a City & Guilds Certificate in Recreation and Leisure Industries as part of The Footballers Further Education & Vocational Training Society Youth Training Scheme.Club career
Crystal Palace
Southgate played as a youth for two and a half years for Southampton before being released as a thirteen-year-old. He subsequently joined Crystal Palace, making his professional debut as a substitute in a Football League Cup tie against Southend United in October 1990. His league debut came against Liverpool in March 1991. Southgate became a regular in the first team during the 1991–92 season, making 39 appearances.Southgate became captain at the age of 23 and led the club to the 1993–94 First Division title, scoring nine goals from central midfield. After the South London club's relegation from the Premier League in 1995, Southgate moved to Aston Villa for a fee of £2.5 million.
Southgate's nickname at Palace was "Nord", given to him because his precise way of speaking reminded coach Wally Downes of Denis Norden's vocal delivery.
Aston Villa
Southgate made 191 appearances for Aston Villa over six seasons. At the club, Southgate was converted into a centre-back and was part of a formidable defence. In his first season, he lifted the League Cup and Aston Villa qualified for the UEFA Cup. Southgate played in every Premier League game during the 1998–99 season. He continued to play for Villa in the 1999–2000 season as the club reached the FA Cup final, but handed in a transfer request just before playing for England at Euro 2000, saying that "if I am to achieve in my career, it is time to move on."Middlesbrough
On 11 July 2001, Southgate signed for Middlesbrough for a £6.5 million fee. He joined on a four-year deal and was the first signing by Steve McClaren, whom he knew as an England coach.In July 2002, after Paul Ince left for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Southgate was appointed the new Middlesbrough captain. On 29 February 2004, he became the first Boro skipper in their 128-year history to lift a trophy, as they defeated Bolton Wanderers in the League Cup final at the Millennium Stadium.
Southgate rejected media rumours that he was set to move to Manchester United following Rio Ferdinand's ban for missing a drug test in January 2004. He later committed his final playing years to Middlesbrough, signing until 2007. His final appearance as a professional player was in the 2006 UEFA Cup final against Sevilla, which Middlesbrough lost 4–0 at the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven.
International career
Southgate made his debut for England as a substitute against Portugal in December 1995 under the management of Terry Venables, heading the ball against the crossbar with his first international touch. Southgate played every minute of their matches as hosts England reached the semi-final of UEFA Euro 1996, in which they faced Germany. The match was determined in a penalty shoot-out; Southgate's penalty was saved, and England were eliminated when Andreas Möller scored the next German penalty. Southgate managed to make light of his blunder later that year by appearing in an advert for Pizza Hut, also featuring Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle, who had missed crucial penalties at the 1990 FIFA World Cup.Southgate also played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000. His 50th cap came in a 1–1 draw with Portugal at Villa Park in September 2002. On 11 June 2003, he played the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 Euro 2004 qualifying win over Slovakia at his club ground of the Riverside Stadium, competing against Middlesbrough's striker Szilárd Németh.
Southgate was capped 57 times for England and scored twice. His first goal came on 14 October 1998 against Luxembourg in a Euro 2000 qualifier, his second on 22 May 2003 against South Africa in a friendly. He is Aston Villa's most capped England player, having played 42 of his 57 internationals whilst with Villa.
Managerial career
Middlesbrough
2006–07 season
manager Steve McClaren left the club in June 2006 to replace Sven-Göran Eriksson as the manager of the England national team. Although Martin O'Neill was initially the favourite for the new vacancy, Southgate was chosen by chairman Steve Gibson to succeed McClaren, committing to a five-year contract. As Southgate did not have the required coaching qualifications to manage a top-flight club, he could only be appointed initially for twelve weeks, but he was allowed to stay on as manager after receiving a special dispensation from the Premier League board in November 2006. Middlesbrough successfully argued that, because Southgate had recently been an international player, he had had no opportunity to undertake the coaching courses. Southgate subsequently went on to complete his coaching qualifications.Upon his appointment, Southgate was tasked with rebuilding a side that had sold several players at the end of the previous league campaign, including key players such as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Doriva. His first signing as a manager came on 12 July, when Herold Goulon signed from Lyon for an undisclosed fee. He brought in four defensive additions to the squad, with Julio Arca arriving from local rivals Sunderland, Robert Huth from Chelsea and Jason Euell from Charlton Athletic on permanent deals, whereas Jonathan Woodgate joined on a season-long loan from Real Madrid. After playing eleven games in their pre-season campaign, Southgate's managerial reign kicked off on 19 August 2006, the first day of the Premier League season, where his side lost 3–2 away at Reading. Despite a disappointing start, they redeemed themselves when hosting reigning champions Chelsea at the Riverside Stadium, the game ending in a 2–1 victory.
During Southgate's first season in charge, the side secured some promising victories, but lost away from home to all three newly promoted sides. Furthermore, it took until January for the team to register their first away win of the season, a 3–1 victory at an out-of-form Charlton Athletic, their first away success since April of the previous year. Their highest-scoring victory of the season was a 5–1 win over Bolton Wanderers. Southgate's side finished the Premier League season sat in twelfth position. That season also saw the club eliminated from the League Cup at the earliest possibility, suffering a 1–0 defeat to Notts County in the first round. In the FA Cup, the club had a replay in every round they participated in. They were eventually eliminated by Manchester United in the sixth round of the competition, suffering a 3–2 aggregate loss. Due to every possible match going to a replay, Middlesbrough actually played more competition matches than the previous season's champions Liverpool.
2007–08 season
Middlesbrough were very active during both transfer windows, with Jonathan Woodgate being the first signing during the summer, arriving from Real Madrid for a £7 million transfer fee; Woodgate had previously played for the club during the previous league campaign on loan. The club went on to break their personal transfer record, for the first time since 2002, when Afonso Alves arrived from Heerenveen for €20 million.In December 2007, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger suggested Southgate as one of several English managers who were "all good enough" to manage the national team. Southgate had faced some criticism earlier on that season, after his side suffered a spell in the relegation zone, but Middlesbrough managed to pull clear of the bottom three. Southgate would go on to guide his side to a thirteenth-place finish in the Premier League; their final game of the league campaign saw them secure an 8–1 victory against Manchester City at home, the club's biggest victory in the Premier League era, and Southgate's largest margin of victory in management.
2008–09 season: Relegation and dismissal
The pre-season build-up ahead of the 2008–09 season was disappointing for the club. Due to heavy spending during the previous season, the club's net spending was almost nil. Furthermore, club legend Mark Schwarzer left the club after eleven years, joining Premier League rivals Fulham on the expiration of his contract. Furthermore, key players such as George Boateng and Lee Cattermole also left the club, once again leaving Southgate with a rebuilding challenge to change Middlesbrough's fortunes. Despite the negative events during pre-season, Middlesbrough secured two victories out of a possible three, resulting in Southgate being named the Premier League Manager of the Month for August. This made Southgate the second person, after Stuart Pearce, to achieve both the Player and Manager of the Month awards, and he became the first Middlesbrough manager to win the award since Terry Venables in January 2001.In November 2008, Southgate took Middlesbrough up to eighth place in the league, following an away win against an in-form Aston Villa, another former playing club of Southgate's; however, Middlesbrough then went fourteen games without a win, until they beat Liverpool at home 2–0 on 28 February 2009. After an away defeat against Stoke City, some of the travelling supporters were calling for his dismissal, having only achieved a single win in eighteen games and survival from relegation looking highly unlikely. On 24 March, chairman Steve Gibson spoke out on the manager's future, stating that sacking Southgate "would not help the situation".
Due to results elsewhere, Middlesbrough's status as a Premier League club went down to the final day: they needed relegation rivals Newcastle United and Hull City to lose, with them needing a five-goal swing to the latter in goal difference. Middlesbrough faced West Ham United away from home; the game ended in a 2–1 defeat, confirming Middlesbrough's relegation to the Championship after eleven consecutive seasons in the top flight, as a 19th-place finish was confirmed. Following their relegation, Southgate expressed his determination to achieve instant promotion back up to the Premier League, praising the supporters and showing his sorrow for them in the process.
Middlesbrough's Championship campaign started strongly, putting them in contention for an immediate return to the Premier League. However, on 20 October 2009, shortly after a 2–0 victory over Derby County and with the club in fourth place, Southgate was dismissed as manager. His dismissal was controversial as he had taken Middlesbrough to within one point of the top position, though chairman Gibson stated that he had made the decision weeks previously in the best interests of the club. He was replaced by Gordon Strachan, who was unable to take the club back to the Premier League. Middlesbrough would have to wait until 2016 to achieve promotion to the Premier League, under the management of Aitor Karanka.