Joey Barton is the latest to share his verdict on the ‘Southgate In vs Southgate Out’ debate and it won’t surprise you to hear that he has some strong opinions on the matter.
The ex-pro turned coach, currently managing Bristol Rovers in League One, is never one to shy away from sharing his thoughts and has been regularly tweeting throughout this year’s World Cup.
That being said, while Gareth Southgate is now widely reported to be considering his future after this latest tournament exit, the former Manchester City man is unhappy that a decision is yet to be made.
Writing in multiple posts on Twitter, Barton thinks it’s time to pull the trigger and move on from Southgate, adding that he is surprised a resignation hasn’t already been announced.
Can’t believe Southgate hasn’t resigned yet. That’s two World Cups and a home European Championship we could/should have won.
Stop rewarding failure. Got to go. Time to hire somebody who can win.
As you can see, Barton says that does he not understand how Southgate hasn’t quit already following “two World Cups and a home European Championship we could/should have won”, but that he believes England need to “stop rewarding failure” by offering him new contracts.
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He goes on to insist that the FA need “to hire somebody who can win”. Worth noting that Southgate has actually won the most games at major tournaments (11) and is fourth in terms of all-time win percentage (60.5%) — admittedly with three competitions under his belt.
Nevertheless, Barton also goes on to take aim at Southgate for appearing in a Pizza Hut advert more than 25 years ago after his infamous penalty miss at Euro 96.
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It is a strange watch, we’ll admit.
Clearly a bag and not a pizza box.
While it’s safe to say this seemed like an odd choice at the time, let alone how surreal it looks now, the gag itself is referring to a moment in Southgate had the courage to step up and take a penalty in a historic moment.
Just for context, Barton only ever made one appearance for the Three Lions.
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Either way, the 40-year-old went on to write: “Time for him to move on… He’s a nice guy but he isn’t a winner. When he put Pizza Box on his head after missing the pen, he was done with. No self-respecting man would ever do that.”
And it’s not like you’ve appeared in any questionable adverts, right Joey?
Now, this is not to rubbish Barton’s stance on whether Southgate should stay or go — his opinion is like that of many others over recent years — but it is always worth reminding that despite the painful endings we’re so used to, he has taken the squad further than anyone since Sir Alf Ramsey in 1966.
Moreover, he’s also managed to overcome the club rivalries that so often drew wedges between previous generations and has created a genuine sense of unity and national pride not only in his teams but across the country, after so many had become disillusioned with international football.
We wrote this before the start of Qatar 2022 and it seems more pertinent than ever that although his departure seems most likely, the gratitude this man is owed goes far beyond what he’s received from the likes of Barton and others who would have sacked him before he’d even made it to the Euro 2020 final.
Regardless of whether he stays or goes, he’s created some of the best England memories most will have ever been alive to witness. He’s done a great job.
Featured Image — Bristol Rovers/England (via Twitter)
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Jürgen Klopp reveals the main reason he turned down the Manchester United job
Danny Jones
Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has revealed one of the main reasons he turned down the Manchester United job more than a decade ago.
The ex-Borussia Dortmund boss turned Merseyside hero spent nine years at Anfield, going on to win a Champions League, Premier League, and a collection of cups.
It’s also worth noting that this all came in the years following the departure of legendary Man United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, but there could have been an alternate reality where Klopp carried on where ‘Fergie’ left off, as the now 58-year-old says the club spoke to him during that time.
With Sir Alex leaving in 2013 after the best part of 30 years, Klopp told Steven Bartlett on his most recent Diary of A CEO episode that “of course, they were interested.”
OUT NOW!
💥Jürgen Klopp on The Diary Of A CEO
Some of the topics we cover:
•His surprise at Liverpool’s £450m transfer window and why he didn’t get the same money
•He says a return to Liverpool is possible – but he couldn’t ask for just one year off
Admitting that the interest was mutual “at one point”, the prospect of joining Liverpool‘s historic rivals clearly appealed to him.
Noting that he was flourishing as an up-and-coming coach (aged 46 back then) in charge of an impressive Dortmund team – adding that even some of his then future players to be at Liverpool flew to watch them play in the Champions League – it’s clear he had plenty of suitors.
However, the retired German footballer turned ‘Gegenpressing’ tactician goes on to explain that despite United trying to poach him from the Bundesliga, it was “the wrong time, wrong moment for me.”
Crucially, he says that some aspects of the conversations between him and the club at the time proved to be a turn-off rather than an incentive, citing talk of ‘the biggest club in the world’ and supposedly “signing any player we want.”
In short, Klopp says that, crucially, it didn’t sound like it would have been his project, drawing parallels to the board wanting to bring back players like Paul Pogba, with arguably similar ‘mistakes’ being made with the return of Cristiano Ronaldo. In his eyes, looking backwards simply “never helps”.
You can see the clip in full here:
Had he not turned down the offer, do you think Klopp could have helped rebuild Man United?
According to Klopp, after negotiations seemed to revolve primarily around the kind of players they were going to bring in, he decided the opportunity wasn’t for him.
Nevertheless, it looked like things worked out for Merseyside’s biggest club, at least, as he went on to become one of the most successful managers in the Premier League, managing to break up the long period of dominance overseen by both Manchester United and, most recently, Man City.
As for the red half of Manchester, they at the very least had a good weekend as they finally ended their long wait for a win away against Liverpool.
In case you missed it, you can watch the highlights – including another big clutch goal from Harry Maguire – down below.
A 5k charity event where runners dress up as Pitbull is coming to Manchester city centre
Danny Jones
Yep, you read it right the first time – a regular 5k charity run returns to Manchester this month, only this time, those taking part will be dressed up as Pitbull for some reason…
Don’t ask us, we just thought it was funny and it’s for a good cause, so why the hell not?
For a little context, this is the latest idea from Slow Run Club: a local running organisation that takes place weekly at three different locations across Greater Manchester.
We know ‘Mr Worldwide’ himself has been and gone, having played a couple of nights in Manchester earlier this year, but these lot have decided two nights of yelling ‘Timberrrr’ still wasn’t quite enough and asking those joining the October fundraising 5k to dress up like the one and only Pitbull.
In case you missed it when ‘Dale’ fever took over the city streets this past summer, bald caps, sunglasses, black felt goatees and drawn-on moustaches descended upon central Manchester as they have been all over the UK and beyond for his live shows.
Was it utterly daft? Yes. Was it still one of THE best gig crowds we’ve seen in yonks? Absolutely.
The 44-year-old Floridian rapper and resurgent pop star played multiple nights at the Co-op Live, and they were brilliant, but we’re not going to pretend that the best wasn’t seeing the sea of shiny bald heads and shades in suits and ties.
It’s rare that you see such a shared moment of abandoning inhibitions and embracing the silliness; it was genuinely so great to see, and it’s that same energy that these guys are trying to tap into. Put simply, it’s about letting go and dancing like no one’s watching.
Teaming up with fellow charity-focused running group, Run The Streets MCR, Slow Run Club (SRC)’s Pitbull fancy-dress-themed run is just the latest in a growing trend of alternative ways to get some exercise in.
After you’ve gone all ‘305’ at the Pitbull run, these Manchester runners are worth looking into as well.
Having done everything from the regular fancy dress Halloween runs to Oasis, Sabrina Carpenter, ABBA-themed runs, and many more, you’d be surprised how much you don’t care about what people think when you’re running around and dancing to tunes – especially when it’s for charity.
Once again, the Slow Run Club x Run The Streets MCR ‘Pitbull Edition’ 5k charity run takes place this month on Wednesday, 22 October, from 6:30pm onwards outside The Tap House on Circle Square, just off the Oxford Road Corridor, before setting off at a laid-back social pace.
This is the same place and time you’ll find SRC’s city centre regular meet-up every week; speaking to The Manc, founder Holly Spiers said: “We run from The Taphouse every Wednesday (just not usually dressed as Pitbull) and offer an inclusive pace as well as rest stops.”
Speaking of fancy dress, if you haven’t seen the group of four mates who made history at the 2025 Manchester Half, stop what you’re doing and read this:
These legends set an incredibly fun, wholesome and amusing world record at this year's @ManchesterHalf – all whilst raising money for @andysmanclubuk. 👏
Danny Jones -
13th December 2022 
