Gareth Southgate’s timeline so far as England manager

Dec 18, 2022 4 min read
Gareth Southgate, centre, took charge of his first England game in October 2016 (Nick Potts/PA)
Gareth Southgate, centre, took charge of his first England game in October 2016 (Nick Potts/PA)

Gareth Southgate will stay on as England manager despite the World Cup quarter-final defeat to France.

Here, Football Mad takes a look at the timeline of his six-year tenure to date.

27 September 2016 – Southgate was placed in temporary charge following Sam Allardyce’s departure. The England Under-21s manager was initially put in charge for four games.

Sam Allardyce lasted just one game in charge of England before being replaced by Southgate
Sam Allardyce lasted just one game in charge of England before being replaced by Southgate (Nick Potts/PA)

8 October 2016 – Southgate enjoyed victory in his first game in charge as England beat Malta 2-0 at Wembley with goals from Daniel Sturridge and Dele Alli.

15 November 2016 – His interim period came to an end after a 2-2 draw with Spain at Wembley, which saw England go unbeaten in Southgate’s four games. The former Middlesbrough manager called for a quick decision on whether he will get the job permanently.

30 November 2016 – Southgate signed a four-year deal to become England’s permanent manager.

10 June 2017 – Harry Kane scored an added-time equaliser as England avoided an embarrassing World Cup qualifying defeat against Scotland at Hampden Park.

5 October 2017 – England booked their place at the 2018 World Cup in Russia with a 1-0 win over Slovenia.

3 December 2017 – Football Association chief executive Martin Glenn gave Southgate an overwhelming vote of confidence, insisting he would keep his job even if they lost every game at the World Cup.

3 July 2018 – After breezing through the group stages in Russia, Southgate banished painful memories of Euro 96 penalty heartbreak as his side beat Colombia in a shoot-out to progress to the quarter-finals.

England won a World Cup penalty shootout for the first time in 2018
England won a World Cup penalty shootout for the first time in 2018 (Owen Humphreys/PA)

7 July 2018 – Southgate became the first England manager to lead his country to the World Cup semi-finals since 1990 after a 2-0 quarter-final win over Sweden.

11 July 2018 – Hopes of ending 62 years of hurt were curtailed with a 2-1 extra-time defeat to Croatia in the World Cup semi-final.

15 October 2018 – Southgate led England to a first victory in Spain in 31 years with a 3-2 win in the Nations League.

28 December 2018 – Southgate was awarded an OBE in the 2019 New Year Honours list for services to football.

Jordan Pickford's penalty heroics helped England finish third in the Nations League
Jordan Pickford’s penalty heroics helped England finish third in the Nations League (Tim Goode/PA)

9 June 2019 – England finished third in the inaugural Nations League after a penalty shoot-out win over Switzerland in the third-place play-off.

6 April 2020 – Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, Southgate agreed to take a 30 per cent salary cut.

22 June 2021 – England topped their group in Euro 2020 after a 1-0 win over the Czech Republic, but Southgate attracted criticism for their style of play.

29 June 2021 – Southgate became the first England manager since Sir Alf Ramsey in the 1966 World Cup final to lead his country to victory over Germany in a knockout match with a 2-0 success in the last 16 of Euro 2020.

11 July 2021 – After reaching the final of the European Championship for the first time, Southgate’s England suffered more heartbreak as they lost the Wembley showpiece to Italy on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

15 November 2021 – Southgate’s side scored 10 goals in a game for the first time since 1964 as they hit double figures against San Marino to book their place in the 2022 World Cup.

22 November 2021 – As reward for his impressive work with the side, Southgate earned a new contract which ran until Euro 2024.

Gareth Southgate's side suffered a Molineux humiliation against Hungary
Gareth Southgate’s side suffered a Molineux humiliation against Hungary (Nick Potts/PA)

14 June 2022 – England endured a dismal Nations League campaign, which included a 4-0 hammering by Hungary at Molineux – the worst home defeat since 1928. Southgate faced boos and critics called for his head.

10 December 2022 – England eased through to the quarter-finals in Qatar before being beaten 2-1 by defending champions France, but the performance of Southgate’s side attracted praise.

18 December 2022 – The FA announced Southgate would stay on to lead England’s Euro 2024 campaign.

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