England would not be here in Dallas today in this better shape and with this quality of player and mood without the vital work Gareth Southgate did in tackling a distressed team and dysfunctional system. He made the talent pool deeper. He made players and fans care about England again. As FA’s head of elite development in 2011 and 2012, Southgate persuaded counties to have kids playing smaller-sided games, enhancing technique. He worked with academies on developing more technical players. He worked with the Under-21s (37 games), building a supply-line of talent. On becoming England head coach, he worked on rebuilding the relationship between players and fans broken amidst the pain and anger of Nice at Euro 2016. Southgate worked on England’s culture and restored some identity. He ended club cliques, improved relations with England club managers and their medical staff. He went into club boardrooms and rebuilt trust and support between owners, directors and England. Southgate smoothed the pathway from Under-21s to seniors and made reporting for international duty something to look forward to again. A joy, not a chore. He brought focus and some fun, real togetherness with inflatable unicorns. He worked on penalties. Marginal gains and more. He took England from 13th in the world to third. He took England to a World Cup semi-final and quarter-final and to back-to-back Euro finals (102 games, 61 wins, 24 draws, 17 defeats). He just couldn’t get England over the line whether through quality of opposition player and manager or tactical. Like many, I was critical of him at times, in crunch moments of games. But his impact is undeniable and should be respected and celebrated. England continue to struggle against top-20 sides. France and Argentina yesterday showed the scale of the challenge for Thomas Tuichel and his team here at the World Cup. But England start their latest World Cup finals journey with more belief and quality because of Southgate’s work from 2011 to 2024. Southgate will doubtless be watching his dear England from afar, wishing them well. He will doubtless take pride in players he knows well. And, although he is too self-effacing and team-minded to talk about it, let alone shout about it, Southgate should certainly take quiet pride in his own immense contribution to England becoming a respected force again. #ENG #FIFAWorldCup