Cascadia and Mid-Annandale head coach James Nichols applauds Gareth Southgate for playing to his team’s strengths on the field and creating harmony off it
Photo: Ali Gilmore \/ Prost Amerika<\/p><\/div>\n
James Nichols is the Head Coach of Cascadia and now coaches Mid-Annandale FC in the\u00a0South of Scotland Football League<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nJames Nichols: Smart Southgate wise to play within limitations<\/h3>\n
The dust has settled and as a thirty something English man, I have seen many major international tournaments, very few captivating the nation as much as this one. There was a feel good factor that I cannot remember seeing, even after a semi-final appearance in Euro 96 or in Italia 90.<\/p>\n
The nation\u2019s perception of the team and expectation was low. This meant that anything that England achieved was likely to be treated as a success story. The further they went in to the competition, the more and more that fans began to connect with their team. The pubs filled up, the parties increased in streets and the replaying of The Lightning Seeds\u2019 Football’s Coming Home<\/em> all showed a nation that was proud of its football team again.<\/p>\nGone were the huge celebrities and major egos that had plagued England teams of the past, and in their place were relatable characters.<\/p>\n
Jamie Vardy had been rejected by everyone apart from Stocksbridge Park Steels and eventually became a premier league winner. Harry Maguire achieved almost legendary status with tattoos appearing on different limbs up and down the country. Harry Kane won the World Cup Golden Boot after unsuccessful loan spells at Leyton Orient, Norwich and Leicester.<\/p>\n
Gareth Southgate was a man who had taken so much personal abuse after missing a penalty in Euro 1996 suddenly became the leader of this band of brothers. He developed a culture where the players enjoyed playing for their country. He spoke at length with fans after games, he spoke to the media in an educated style and he overcame his own personal demons to lead his country. Waistcoat sales went through the roof as people wanted to replicate their hero.<\/p>\n
England came under a lot of criticism due to the proportion of goals that came from set pieces. For me this was a sign of excellent coaching. I believe that the coaching staff knew both the abilities and limitations of their squad inside out. Every single player who wore the England shirt knew their role and the set pieces had been rehearsed over and over again to gain perfection. As well as understanding their squad\u2019s strengths, the staff knew their own players\u2019 weaknesses. This allowed the game plan as well as selection to be tailored to ensure as much possible success.<\/p>\n
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