It's fair to say that Gareth Southgate has split opinion among the England fans this summer.
While England have made their way to the semifinals of the Euros for the second time in-a-row, the football they've played under Southgate has been quite dull and has left a lot to be desired.
On the other hand, England have historically under-performed in major tournaments, even with squads that are arguably more talented than this current one. Southgate has proven time and time again that he can reach the latter stages of tournaments.
Southgate may not be a Pep Guardiola type tactician but Southgate has certainly shown that he can get a lot out of this England group, even if it isn't the most thrilling football to watch.
Speaking exclusively to Ladbrokes 1-2-Free former Manchester United and England defender Phil Jones spoke about Gareth Southgate's qualities and how he believes that Southgate is a good manager.
Gareth's always been a brilliant man-manager. He knows how to speak to his players, he knows how to address people. Ultimately, he's proven that he's a very good manager.
I know people will say he's not won this, or he's not won that. But when you look at where we were, compared to where we are... it's a huge progression. Gareth's made a huge impact on this team, and on this nation.
Phil Jones Speaks About Gareth Southgate's First Meeting In Charge Of England
Jones was part of some of the early Southgate squads back in 2016. It was at a tumultuous time for English football, just months after being knocked out of Euro 2016 by Iceland and then having the embarrassing Sam Allardyce scandal.
It certainly wasn't ideal conditions for Gareth Southgate to be taking arguably the biggest job in English football but Jones talked about how from the beginning Southgate had envisioned England's rise.
I remember when he took over, and in his first meeting with the lads, he was showing clips of the World Cup, the actual trophy, and the European trophy too. That was the first meeting we ever had with him, and that's what he had in mind for us.
I can just remember coming out of that meeting with him and thinking 'wow, he's got some big ambitions here'. He outlined that from day one, and the lads have only ever taken it all onboard and understood they're in it for the long haul.
He may still be short of those ambitions so far in his England tenure but it's hard to deny that Southgate has made a huge impact on the England national team.
Now with England in the semifinals of Euro 2024, England are again just two games away from winning their first major trophy in over 50 years and with the embarrassment of riches Gareth Southgate has on hand, it's going to be hard to stop them.
