Gareth Southgate’s knighthood is a reward for failure

Some of football’s greatest names have been knighted for their achievements in the game. Sir Alf Ramsey received his gong for leading England to World Cup victory in 1966, an achievement unrivalled to this day. Sir Alex Ferguson became a footballing knight for turning Manchester United into serial winners of the Premier League. This exclusive group also includes some of the game’s greatest legends on the pitch, including Sir Stanley Matthews, Sir Geoff Hurst and Sir Bobby Charlton. And now, joining these illustrious ranks is Gareth Southgate, the former England manager, who has been awarded a knighthood in the New Year Honours list. Arise, Sir Gareth. Why though? What has Southgate, a journeyman defender and failed England manager, done to merit the honour? It smacks of rewarding failure.

Southgate’s record as manager of the England team speaks for itself. Eight years, three favourable draws in major international tournaments, yet not a single trophy to show for it. His supporters (and there are plenty of them in the ranks of the Football Association and elsewhere) point out that Southgate led England to two consecutive European Championship finals and the 2018 World Cup semi-finals. They claim this makes him England’s most successful manager since the great Ramsey. It is a rather peculiar way of defining success. International football is about winning the major tournaments. Coming second counts for nothing, never has, and never will. 

Southgate was found wanting when it mattered most. He won plenty of games – 64 out of 102 matches played during his time as England manager – but the only statistic that matters is that he lost in the biggest and most important games. England lost to Italy in the European Championship final at Wembley. Southgate was tactically out-thought by the Italian coach, Roberto Mancini. England crashed to defeat in the 2018 World Cup semi-final against an underwhelming Croatia team. Southgate finally resigned as England manager this summer, after England lost 2-1 to Spain in the Euro 24 final in Germany. His tactics were again found wanting and his failure to get the best out of a supremely talented group of players was obvious for all to see. It was Southgate’s England tenure writ large.

This is why he has had plenty of detractors during his spell in charge of the national team. Towards the end of his reign he was even being pilloried by the likes of Gary Lineker, who publicly questioned his tactics during the Euros in Germany. England fans hurled cups of beer at Southgate during the early stages of the tournament. This was disgraceful but reflected a growing disenchantment with his time managing the team. Yet people in high places want to reward him with honours. Why? Basically for being a good egg,  their kind of guy, someone who talks a good game while everything is falling apart. He is every football suit’s idea of the perfect manager. The Football Association chairwoman Debbie Hewitt congratulated Southgate on his ‘richly-deserved’ honour, saying he ‘embodied the best of English football.’ Well, yes, if you think that being a good loser embodies the best of football. Hewitt has revealed much about the prevailing complacent mindset at the top of the national game in her lavish praise for Southgate: ‘Off the field, he brought our fans closer than ever to the team, stood up for what he believed in and inspired players to share his pride in representing England… All of us who have experienced his thoughtfulness, dedication and leadership are delighted with this wonderful news.’

What has any of this to do with winning the big tournaments, which is the actual job of England manager? There was more of the same twaddle from Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool and England defender, who believes Southgate’s knighthood is well-deserved: ‘I think with how he dealt with everything as an England manager shows he is a real class act and deserves this honour.’ Being a class act really isn’t part of the job description.

What is it about the serially under-achieving Southgate that sends so many people who should know better into a great tizzy? They appear to see in him so many things: humanity, decency and emotional intelligence. They argue that he may have disappointed on the pitch but that he deserves credit for being a transformative figure off the pitch. This really has nothing to do with the job of winning the biggest trophies. Southgate has been replaced as England manager by Thomas Tuchel, a more abrasive and divisive figure, who has actually won things. In other words, Tuchel is everything that Southgate is not. He certainly has more chance of actually leading England to glory. If he does, Southgate’s tenure and his knighthood will be forgotten soon enough. Rightly so.