‘Gareth Southgate is a Godsend for England’ as his critics are quiet after Wales win

The usual England critics are quiet after that simple win over Wales to take them into the last 16, with Gareth Southgate getting some rare credit.

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Any chance you can stop criticising Southgate now?
With a more-or-less inimitable combination of footballing acuity, team/man management skills, media skills, a general good-head-on-his-shoulders level of equanimity and – oh, yes, – the trifling matter of repeatedly producing actual results at major tournaments, Gareth Southgate is nothing short of a godsend for England.

Anyone, including those on this esteemed site, who thinks England can do better with some mythical replacement ought to stop window-shopping and perhaps reflect on how England fared with his most recent predecessors this century (puts on specs, peers at sheet): Big Sam, Roy, ‘Psycho’, Capello, Steve McSomething and Sven.
Ebrahim (or let’s just bin him for Jose…always good for a laugh!), MUFC, Seattle

…To continue on the thread, another reasonable performance from the England defence, resurrection of Slabhead. Walker now takes over from Trippier. But apart from right back the side will be the same as against Iran for the last 16 knock-out game.

This Wales game was almost a dead rubber, wherever that expression came from, so Foden & Rashford and Hendo back on an admittedly very good, if not the finest, bench . Of course, a bit of luck is needed in knock out games . On paper England ought to be beating Senegal. Lots of humble Senegalés around here so I won’t be bragging if England win.

France is not a given though if they do meet England in the quarter final it’d be worthy of a grand final. May the better team on the day win then.

Are Portugal now ‘dark horses’?

Last 16, proper cup competition from here on in. Love it !
Peter (all hail Gareth Southgate), Andalucia

Sent at half-time; not heard anything since
England must be one of the most boring teams in the world to watch. Slow, ponderous, pointless backwards passing. Absolutely awful. Send them home with Wales. They won’t be far after them anyway.
Weldoninhio, BAC

England 3-0 Wales: 16 Conclusions as the handbrake is released, Rashford shines and Bale vanishes

Carrick is not undercapped
Michael Carrick as good as Busquets, Xabi Alonso etc. unquestionably ticked off because Pep said it? Hmm. No. He doesn’t have the defensive awareness of Busquets and certainly doesn’t even begin to…