Gareth Southgate won't lose his job if England disappoint at Russia 2018, confirms Martin Glenn
Glenn did warn, however, that next summer won't be a 'free pass' for Southgate and his men
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Gareth Southgate will go into the World Cup with the security of knowing he will not lose his job if England suffer another disappointment, as Football Association chief executive Martin Glenn said the competition is being viewed as an “important staging post in the development” of what will likely be the third youngest squad in Russia.
While Glenn said that did not mean next summer would be a “free pass” for Southgate and his men, who are expected to target glory in Russia, the governing body’s hierarchy will resist any calls for a change of manager in the event of a poor campaign, as the England manager has been charged with nurturing this young group of players and incorporating the country’s emerging talent in the shape of England’s World Cup-winning Under-17s and Under-20s.
When it was put to him that there would be no knee-jerk reaction if the national team suffered a tournament like the first-round exit of 2014, Glenn said: “Basically, yes. That’s a correct summary.
“We want Gareth there to build for the long term,” he continued. “The World Cup’s a really important staging post for our development, I think. We go out there wanting to win it but also being realistic.
“Gareth has a long-term contract. He’s not looking at Russia as a free pass; he wants to go out there and win.
“But we’re going to do it in a way that’s sustainable. So, we’re going to make sure that we’re picking the kind of players that can do their best in Russia and continue to kick on in 2020 and 2022. We’ve got a long-term plan. You’ve seen it; you’ve seen some of the fruits of it.
“Long-term plans are hard to defend when the short-term results go against you. No-one wants to have bad World Cup but we’re confident he’s the right guy to take up through for the next few tournaments.
“What we’re doing is making sure that players that have made it through to the first team by 21, 22, have had lots and lots of tournament experience. So, those Under-17 winners and Under-20 winners will be coming through and they are serious, serious competitions to win.
“We know that worked for the Germans and we know that worked for the Spanish.
“So, we’re just repeating things they’ve done with our own emphasis on it.”
Glenn also emphasised Southgate’s message that England should not underestimate their draw, having been placed in Group G alongside Belgium, Tunisia and Panama.
“I don’t think any draw’s a dream draw,” he said. “We are up against one of the top teams in the world in Belgium. They’re ranked four or five. We know a bit about Tunisia. I think we played them in the first game in the ‘98 World Cup. We’ve never played Panama so we need to get prepared for those games. There was definitely a group of death but no-one got it. And no-one got an absolute patsy draw either. History says the small teams in the World Cup refuse to play like small teams.”
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