First and foremost, let it be known that this is not the outcome this particular fan wants. Like so many of us, Gareth Southgate has given me the greatest England memories of my lifetime.
However, it’s fair to say it’s not going to plan, is it?
The Three Lions are now without a win in the last six games and have been relegated from their Nations League group following a disappointing final two games before the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
On top of the lacklustre defeat against Italy, who were arguably the only team to look as off the pace as England since the Euros, Monday night’s 3-3 draw against a similarly underperforming Germany was a typically frustrating rollercoaster, to say the least.
Southgate‘s team looked dead and buried after the opener and even despite the spirited fight-back, they gave away a late equaliser. Even more worryingly, prior to Luke Shaw’s goal, they hadn’t scored from open play in over nine hours of football. Yikes.
Many have been calling for the England boss to be dismissed ever since the disappointment of last summer — some of his detractors even date as far back as 2018. That being said, these latest defeats have only seen more people declaring #SouthgateOut, World Cup just around the corner or not.
Despite being the first coach to take the England men’s team to a final since the last time we lifted a trophy in 1966 – the first to take us as far as a semi since ’96, as well – it’s becoming more and more difficult to argue his case by the minute.
Moreover, not only is hard to feel confident for November based on recent performances, but knowing that this could be the last major tournament for many of the core group who have delivered over the past five or six years, it does feel very much like a ‘now or never’ moment for Southgate and several players.
Speaking of which, the squad selection has been another point of contention for some England fans, the suggestion being that he has his favourites and often overlooks those in form and more deserving of a spot compared to his mainstays.
The inclusion of Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw has been highlighted by many of his critics given the two are barely paying for United at the minute. The pair both started against Germany despite calls for the likes of Fikayo Tomori to be given a shot having been part of a title-winning Milan side in Italy last season.
Some fans were also calling for Ben White to be brought into the fold, but he wasn’t even named in this squad for this international break, despite Arsenal sitting top of the Premier League and with three clean sheets, no less.
Meanwhile, sidelined Maguire was responsible for the penalty that gave Germany the lead and the second goal, as it happens.
The rationale seems to be that Maguire has been a fairly consistent performer under Southgate, scoring some big goals in both of the last two tournaments and a key player in his preferred back three/five.
Shaw was one of the stand-outs of Euro 2020 — we relive that goal almost nightly. But even besides moments like that and Monday nights’s contribution, surely ‘sticking with what you know’ only goes so far and it makes little sense to be picking players who aren’t playing regularly.
More accurately, she did so by playing a largely positive, attacking style, enjoying plenty of possession in most games and hitting fast on the counter. In contrast, Southgate’s approach is considered somewhat reserved, even when his team are at their best.
While Southgate’s sides often dominate possession in games against weaker opponents, they are rarely perceived as risk-takers and the 52-year-old regularly favours a more defensive set-up even in games when most would argue it isn’t necessary. It’s one of the several reasons fans have grown impatient.
The man himself admitted in the build-up to the Germany game that even with his 2024 contract, he knows that he’ll be “judged on what happens at [the] World Cup” and emphasised that beyond his own job security, “it’s not healthy for the team to be having this noise around them”
🗣 "It's a situation we aren't enjoying."
Gareth Southgate is determined to turn around England's poor run of performances pic.twitter.com/ajzneLYkjA
Conversely, Raheem Sterling said before the game that the players need to “take some responsibility” for the misfiring of late, but insisted that the neither team nor the fans need to panic at this stage and that the boys will find their feet when World Cup starts on 20 November.
Moreover, even before they fought their way back into the game, Germany’s coach Hansi Flick offered his support, dubbed him “the most successful in [our] history” and citing that he has the best points average of any England manager.
Regardless of the pressure on him right now, it cannot be overlooked that Southgate has lost just 13 and drawn 17 in 76 matches, not to mention taking the nation as far in a tournament as they’ve been in 25 years. That’s what makes this debate such a painful and divisive one.
With that in mind, it’s worth reiterating that we would love nothing more than to see Southgate succeed and take this team that final step further. Nevertheless, it’s hard to ignore the very real possibility that this could be his last crack at it.
Even if they did complete the comeback against Germany, England still finished bottom of the group with a game to spare, ending on just three points and a minus-six goal difference. It’s chalk and cheese to the numbers put up by the Women’s team who filled the nation with such hope and pride just months ago.
As Sterling says, it is of course on the players as well, but you’d be hoping for a little more momentum with the World Cup starting in just 55 days.
Games like these are when you want to see a manager’s first-choice team taking shape and although we know there will be personnel changes in the final squad, it’s only going to take more time for members of the group to build that chemistry so key in tournament football.
It really does feel like we’ve reached a point where Southgate has to win a trophy or go the way of every other manager since Sir Alf Ramsey.
Being generous, it’s reach another final at the very least, but even that might not be enough for the FA to bet on him for another four years only to risk potentially falling short again while running the clock down on a talented generation of footballers.
If it does turn out to be his final tournament as England manager, we’ll always have the memories and we look forward to creating a few more this winter. I mean, anything can happen in a knockout competition – who knows, maybe he’ll help bring it home after all?
Featured Image: England (via Twitter)
Sport
Pep Guardiola aims not-so-subtle dig at ‘destructive’ FIFA Club World Cup
Danny Jones
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is the latest to voice his concerns surrounding the ongoing 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, delivering a not-so-subtle dig at the competition.
Ahead of Man City‘s round of 16 match against Al Hilal in this year’s Club World Cup, of which they won all their group stage games, the Catalan head coach has once again come out to criticise the increasingly congested fixture calendar.
His comments come after former Liverpool manager and now Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull, Jürgen Klopp, labelled the current off-season summer run of matches “the worst idea ever.”
Somewhat echoing his statement – or at the very least aligning with it (albeit indirectly) – Pep Guardiola gave his two cents also, claiming that the now extended, 32-team tournament could “destroy” his squad and their fortunes in the next campaign.
Clearly, Pep is far from the biggest of fan of the recently refreshed format, even despite having won the thing on four occasions in the past – the most recent being with Manchester City back in 2023.
Reflecting on what impact he fears the Club World Cup may have on his team next season, Guardiola said: “I try not to think about it, otherwise I will be so anxious. We will rest [for as much time as] the Premier League allows us to.
“And game by game, month by month, we will see. And maybe in November, December, January, ask me, Pep. I may say: ‘So listen, we are a disaster. We are exhausted. The World Cup destroyed us.’ I don’t know, but it’s the first time in our [lives] that that’s happened [a 32-team CWC]. So we will see…”
Unpredictable weather in the United States, where the action is being hosted, has also been the subject of outrage in some cases, with Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca stating, “It’s a joke! It’s not football”, after a major storm delay mid-game pushed meant that one of their games took five hours to finish.
The 54-year-old also insisted that those who were against the tweaked concept “fought a lot” here in England, in UEFA meetings and so on, as was the case with the revision of the new layout of the Champions League, but to no avail.
Jurgen Klopp: "NBA player earns a lot of money & has 4 months of rest per year. Van Dijk didn't even have that in his entire career. Tournaments such as the Club World Cup cannot take place at the expense of players" [Die Welt]
Regarding Klopp, who set this latest chain of criticism, he claims that whoever wins the 2025 Club World Cup is ultimately “pointless” and will be “the worst winner of all time because they’ll have played all summer and then gone straight back into the league.”
In his eyes, the decisions are being made by people who have “never been involved” with the pressure of day-to-day life in professional football and the physical toll of multiple competitions, in particular.
As for who might win the 2025 CWC, it could very well be Man City for a second time, as the Blues are the only team remaining that has a 100% win ratio this year, having most recently thrashed Juventus 5-2 in their last game.
Nevertheless, it seems that the stance of Klopp, Guardiola, Maresca and more is pretty plain: this particular tournament will go down in the record books for the wrong reasons, and they won’t be happy until the format is revisited.
Do you agree with Pep and co. on the Club World Cup controversy?
Featured Images — Man City (screenshot via YouTube)
Sport
The latest on Salford Red Devils financial situation as ‘winding-up’ petition is adjourned
Danny Jones
The current situation at Salford Red Devils is far from ideal, with the rugby league team currently owing hundreds of thousands of pounds in debt, not to mention facing further stress over finances with players owed wages, key personnel leaving and remaining uncertainty over future ownership.
So, why is the board expressing reassurance among supporters following the recent adjournment of a ‘winding-up’ petition, and what exactly does this mean?
It is no doubt a complex issue, but with the season concluding in October and the Greater Manchester club essentially being given a stay of execution, for lack of a better phrase, it’s possible that a corner could hopefully be turned soon.
Here’s everything we know so far about the situation in Salford and where the Red Devils’ finances are currently at.
Salford Red Devils’ finances and more – explained
For a start, they’re late on payroll again this month.
Salford Red Devils players have been told they will not receive their salaries today.https://t.co/ofHTR0uZyN
According to recent reports, Salford Red Devils owe more than half a million pounds to His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) at present, with current estimates said to be in the region of £600,000.
The Super League side has fallen into debt due to a number of factors: their own performance as a business, cuts to local funding and a period of spending in terms of recruitment and pre-season preparation under the assumption of a subsidy from Salford City Council (SCC).
However, this would-be uplift – despite it being promised late last year – never came as the Council (having already provided £315k in ‘immediate’ financial aid back in March 2024) U-turned on the decision after it was revealed further backing was not in the budget.
SCC ended up owing around £2 million itself after stepping in to save both SRD and fellow rugby league outfit Swinton Lions, handing out loans to both clubs even prior to purchasing Salford Community Stadium and the surrounding area.
The Council ultimately shelled out north of £7.7m to buy the ground and sever commercial ties with previous owners, Peel. They had hoped to further alleviate pressure on the club, but Salford Red Devils (SRD) had already spent the money they were expecting to receive on new players, training and more.
SRD were then told to sell off a number of players by the league.
With all this in mind, something called a ‘winding-up’ petition – basically a document sent by creditors that demands the immediate liquidation of a company/organisation that owes them money – was filed by HMRC back in May, with the tax authorities demanding payment of the outstanding sum.
However, special dispensation appears to have been made not only due to the complicated and unforeseen circumstances Salford have faced along the way, but also for the sake of the Rugby Football League (RFL) itself, with the Red Devils still seen as a valuable sporting and community asset.
One of those unexpected twists was the takeover by a new consortium led by Dario Berta, whose investment failed to clear in time and resulted in the club being hit with the financial sustainability problem that saw them cutbacks.
In a small bit of good fortune, it has now been decided that the petition to liquidate the SRD has been postponed, though not indefinitely.
As expected, there is good news that the winding-up petition filed by HMRC against Salford Red Devils has been successfully adjourned by the club's representatives in London until after the season has finished in September.
It's important to focus on supporting Salford as they…
— The Game Caller 🗣🎙📻 (@TheGameCaller) June 25, 2025
What could happen next?
The date for coughing up what debt they owe to the tax authorities has now been pushed back to September, meaning they have until then to find the finances, or else they could very well be made insolvent in a matter of months.
However, as per BBC Radio Manchester, those involved in the ongoing process are “confident” that bridging loans will be put in place over the coming days to keep HMRC at bay.
And, nevertheless, head coach Paul Rowley has insisted that he can see “green shoots” starting to emerge around the club, despite still sitting bottom of the table with just one win to their name.
What’s for sure is that the local area isn’t giving up on them, with numerous fundraisers and charity events being set up to help support the club via the official Salford Red Devils Foundation.
Fingers firmly crossed that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Danny Jones -
26th September 2022 
