JIMMY FLOYD HASSELBAINK has launched a staunch defence of Gareth Southgate – and branded managing England a “thankless task”.
Dutchman Hasselbaink was on Southgate’s coaching staff at this summer’s European Championships, working closely with the squad’s strikers.
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The Three Lions reached their second-successive Euros final but lost 2-1 to Spain thanks to a heart-breaking late winner.
Hasselbaink, 52, told Genting Casino: “I don’t think there can be an argument made to say that Gareth Southgate didn’t do a fantastic job managing England.
“He brought everyone together and was completely responsible for generating a brilliant mood in the England camp between the players.
“The atmosphere, the camaraderie, the togetherness, you have to give credit to the manager for that.
“The England job is a thankless task. Look at what Gareth Southgate achieved in the time he was managing England.
“When he took over, where were they? They were going nowhere. He took over and made an instant impact.”
Southgate was promoted from Under-21s boss to senior chief in 2016 after Sam Allardyce left in shame following a newspaper sting, having managed just one game.
He stayed in the job for eight years, reaching two Euros finals as well as a semi-final and a quarter-final in the World Cup.
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Assessing Southgate’s legacy
By Tom Barclay
JIMMY FLOYD-HASSELBAINK is right to praise how Gareth Southgate completely transformed England during his eight years.
Our national side were at their lowest ebb when he took over in the wake of the humiliating Euros exit to Iceland and then the shame of the Sam Allardyce scandal.
Some players did not seem to have that pride to play for the Three Lions anymore – but Southgate brought it back.
His record at major finals was outstanding and in the fullness of time, will likely be appreciated for what they were.
The style of play at the last Euros was justifiably criticised though, given how well we had played at the 2022 World Cup.
We were not getting the best out of our attacking talents, relying on moments of magic and were a 95th-minute overhead kick away from going out to Slovakia with our tails between our legs.
Anthony Gordon has since admitted the team lacked “freedom”. But that should not diminish what a feat it was to reach our first final overseas.
Southgate’s legacy will be one of “putting England back on the map”, as Hasselbaink says, and hopefully the springboard to silverware in the coming years.
Is the Three Lions job a thankless task?
You would have said no in late summer 2018, when fans were dressing up in waistcoats and singing “Southgate you’re the one” ad nauseam.
Familiarity breeds contempt so perhaps it is if you stay in the job long enough.
But whoever gets it next permanently, if they finally end 60 years of hurt at the next World Cup, they will be getting nothing but gratitude for the rest of their life.
The 54-year-old stepped down in the wake of that painful defeat to Spain, with U21s chief Lee Carsley currently in interim charge.
Hasselbaink, a former team-mate of Southgate’s at Middlesbrough in their playing days, revealed how that loss to the Spanish in Berlin put the squad and staff through the emotional wringer.
He explained: “When we lost, did it hurt? Hell yeah. It hurt like crazy.
“I had sleepless nights for weeks after the final. In football finals, someone always has to lose. That’s football. It was an amazing experience for me. Absolutely unbelievable.”
Southgate was criticised for his team’s performances and cautious style of play at this summer’s Euros, despite their run to the final.
Hasselbaink said the squad were aware of the flak they were receiving but that it brought them closer together.
And he hailed Southgate for how he transformed the country’s fortunes during his tenure.
Hasselbaink, who left the national set-up when Southgate stepped down, added: “Now, when people think of England at a major tournament, they are always one of the favourites and Gareth is responsible for changing that narrative because of what he’s achieved with the team.
“He got to the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup. In 2022, it was the quarter-final and England lost against France on the finest of margins. England were so unlucky in that game.
“He guided the team to back-to-back European Championship finals. Again, that’s a massive achievement.
“I don’t think a lot of England fans understood the size of the achievement and also the fact that Gareth took England to its first final on foreign soil. England had never played a final outside of its own country before.
“They’ve never won anything anywhere other than Wembley in 1966. Whatever people will say, Gareth made history with England, and he put the team back on the map.
“Yes, I hear the criticism about the team’s fluency, but you know what, we got England to within 90 minutes of becoming a European champion.”
