Gareth Southgate

The "Conflicted" England manager is considering his future, so we asked the audience to help him make a decision.

"What's been said and what's been written over the last 18 months has been difficult for me," said the man who took England to the World Cup semi-finals.

"The night at Wolves" was brought up in the aftermath of the quarter-final defeat by France when some fans booed and chanted "you don't know what you're doing".

We wanted to give a deeper look at how you felt after England's World Cup exit.

A sample of what we received is here.

Let's go over to you, Gareth...

STAY

I hope you stay there. I don't think I've ever had a better time watching England since you took over. All we ever saw of England at major tournaments was a depressing expectation that we would never deliver. I've traveled and watched your teams play and the moments it has brought me with my family and friends have been incredible. You and the team have made a difference. You have brought us closer than any other manager since 1966 and you have been our most successful manager over the years. I hope this isn't the end, we are improving and finishing what you started. This has been the most enjoyable time of my life following England, if you step away.

Mark Elders is the most successful England manager of all time. All the negative comments we read are written by people who don't know anything about football and don't understand tournament football and why it is different to league football. The England manager's job is unlike any other in that it requires a very special type of person with unique talent and knowledge to fulfill it. Only a few football players get the chance to play for England, so you have built a squad of players who understand that. In the past 50 years of watching the game, I can honestly say that there has never been an England team and a squad of players as good as the one you have created. In four years we will have a World Cup in North America. I, like millions of other England fans, want you to lead this group of young men, because they will be at their peak by that time.

Tim Bailey said that the level of respect for the management and team has never been so high. Hard work and belief are what England fans, management and this team have in abundance. The results come from the team spirit. There is a lot of luck needed. Please keep going, it's never been better. It would be great to win a tournament, but it's such a big deal.

You're the perfect England manager, look what you've accomplished. Fans and players love you. Please don't leave.

Since you took over, you have done a great job. The mentality and togetherness of the team is better than any I have ever seen. The players have a lot of fun playing for their country and you have created an environment for them to flourish. If you decide to stay, you will be the best England manager since Sir Alf Ramsey.

I want you to stay at this job. The level of care, compassion and loyalty you show your players when they need it most is so admirable, never change. They can only dream of having integrity in their lives. Thanks for getting us to where we are and giving us hope for the future I would like to thank you.

I can empathise with your need to reflect on this decision. Football fans have high expectations and if they are not met, their criticisms are the most crude and unhealthiest way possible. One day these archaic attitudes will be eliminated and replaced by a more progressive response to a simple game of football. I want you to stay on as England's manager. I've been really proud of the England team for a long time. We are responsible for the change. The whole purpose of sport is not winning a trophy. Having a team that plays creatively and has its players be respectful of others and themselves is what is important. I don't know when the last time an England team was respected in another country, but I think it is now. You and your staff are well respected. The good fight needs to be fought.

It must have been a huge personal disappointment, but the fact is that the England team has responded brilliantly to his management, and that is a huge contribution to rebuilding and fielding a great team of newly dedicated players. Please don't give up, that's what I feel for the public mood in the area. We support you continuing as the best England manager we have ever had. Your most successful time will come when you stay with this group of England football players.

Don't be overly focused on results. The process of getting good at tournaments is enjoyable. England is getting better. The English side would have beaten the Italians in the Euro final. Go and talk toAndy Murray. He lost four grand slam finals in straight sets. He was a three-time Grand Slam champ.

Jane Dan, 61, Manchester, said, "You are a man who knows how to manage a national team." Everyone is working together as a unit, not as individuals who are on the same pitch, wearing the same shirt. It's not a mean feat when you have players who can shine for themselves. In football management, emotional intelligence is rare. You know how to get the most out of your players. You are forward- thinking and imaginative in the way you build up your players so that they give their best. You are respectful in the way you answer questions and to the views of pundits. If you resigned, it would be a huge loss.

You have done a great job. The players are playing for you. You've made people want to play football again. We were unlucky this year because we are getting better. Your positive attitude has made the team more positive. Troy Deeney should be brought to each tournament for the purpose of scoring penalties. You're the one!

Emma Whitty- Haddock is from St Anne's. One of the hardest jobs in the world has been taken on by you. You have shown class, dignity, intelligence and wisdom. A group of majority young men have been taken and turned into a team that plays, talk and act as though they're seasoned England players. The boys feel supported, content and most of all managed under your leadership. In your team's approach, you gained experience and knowledge from across the world. It is clear that England have come a long way under your management and the future is bright, I believe you will lead the boys to a trophy. The road is never completely smooth but the majority of people want you to stay. The England guys believe in you and want you to lead them to victory. Don't leave, Gareth.

It has been more than 50 years since I saw an England team as special as this one. I am so proud of you all because you have created something special with this team. We have been given hope, excitement and joy by you. It's not the winning, it's the way you play the game, that's what I hope you decide to stay!

thank you for your strength and decency If you stay, I would ask you to be a bit braver and use your subs earlier. It is easy to criticize from the bar. Go if you know you've improved the squad. Thank you, Cheers.

LEAVE

You're a nice man. You would be a great Primary School Headteacher. Football managers want to win and not just lose. Take a look at the new England cricket management set-up.

It is once again a top team that beats us in a quarter-final. A huge opportunity was missed in the semi-finals. The Euro final ended in a loss. This may be a little brutal. Thank you for taking the team as far as you can, you have done a great job. A once-in-a-lifetime left-back may never get his chance to display his world-class talent as the coach does not trust him because of the results before the World Cup. "They have never let me down" is a phrase that will haunt England, as good as he has been for them. Are we happy with decades of failure? The nearly nation needs to wake up and appoint a manager who can take advantage of the amazing talent we have and move forward with a new coach. The reality is that you have excelled and have reached the limit.

Bob Wood is a good man but only a mediocre football manager. Keep him on if we want to be safe. England should go for a manager who plays a more attacking style of football. I'd rather see us fail to aim for the sky than settle for a comfortable second best. There are managers such as Potter and Howe. The current England squad can play more adventurous football and progress to a higher level. Over the course of a number of years, he has shown that he is not the right person to take them there.

Mohammed thinks his time is up and he would love to stay. Since 2016 he has been leading England forward. He has done well against teams that we are supposed to beat, but we have lost to France, Belgium and Italy. The time has come to bring in Thomas Tuchel.

It's time to pass the baton to someone who knows what they're doing to get us over the line. We can't risk the best squad and talent in many years going to waste under the guidance of a tactically poor and ignorant manager, because he has done well bringing players from different clubs together. We have been lucky in terms of being drawn against poor teams, beating no-one of note in a competitive tournament except a poor German side at Euro 2020.

We haven't won a men's tournament in over 50 years. In the past two World Cup, we played no-one of real consequence except Croatia and France and lost to both of them. A new face is needed. The scare factor is missing from Southgate's expertise. This was in abundance for the three of them. Four years ago, I said we wouldn't win anything under him. Nice guy but has made a lot of mistakes in important games.

NEUTRAL

We played very well and you all gave everything. Everyone at Team England is very proud of their country. It will take you a while to digest this one. The England team is only going to get better, even though we went out again by the best of margins. If you want to compete at major tournaments, you have to beat the best teams, and this is where England have failed for years, and this is the question you need to ask yourself: are you the man to change this? Is it possible to give this England team the belief that they are going to beat them no matter who they play? We are missing something. Will we win against the best in the world when the chips are low? We lost because France thought that more than we did. Kane missed the penalty because he believed he would score. I will be behind you if you can answer yes. You have been great, now leave and be exceptional. Thank you for everything you've done, and hope for the best.

As long as he knows he has to have a Plan B and not leave Trent Alexander-Arnold on the bench he should stay. Kane must be dropped. England is slowed down too much by him.

Don't leave until the Euros, then step down, win or lose. There will be plenty of time for the FA to find a new manager with the World Cup in mind. It's time to give it one more try. When France was in the 80s and early 90s, they knocked at the door and were almost men. The golden generation of players came through for them.

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