Gareth Southgate has urged fuming England fans to back his stars – even if they want him gone as boss.
Southgate is facing more flak in the wake of his side’s goalless draw with minnows Slovenia that saw England limp into the knockout stages of Euro 2024. Supporters chucked objects at Southgate as he clapped them in the Cologne Stadium following the final whistle.
But a defiant Southgate has told them to keep taking out their anger on him instead of his players. Southgate insists he can handle whatever comes his way – and will stand up to all the criticism of him.
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He said: “I won’t be backing away from anything. The fans were brilliant with the team in the second half. Absolutely brilliant. That’s so important.
“Whatever the feeling is towards me, you’ve got to get behind the team. That’s crucial. I’m not going to change that [feeling towards him], so it’s pointless me spending energy [on it].
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“But I’m also not going to back away from it. My job is to guide the players and help the players through it.
“I’ve got to show my players the fearlessness we are asking of them on the pitch. So I will continue to do that.
“We are playing for big stakes, we are trying to do something that has never been done before. So we have to have a mentality that we are prepared to walk towards those challenges.”