Former England striker says Gareth Southgate should be more popular with fans

The former Leicester, Arsenal and England striker has come out in support of Southgate ahead of Sunday's Euro 2024 final, which will see the Three Lions taking on Spain.

It will be the second straight European final for England, with Southgate also leading the team to a semi-final at the 2018 World Cup.

Smith says England's repeated long runs through major tournaments under Southgate should be cause for reverence by fans, but some supporters have shown disleasure with the way the 53-year-old has managed the team.

Speaking to Genting Casino, Smith disagreed with the naysayers.

"When you look at previous England managers, they all get slated, no matter who it is," Smith said. "Alf Ramsey did after the 1970 World Cup and he lifted the trophy four years earlier. I was in England squads when Bobby Robson was getting absolute pelters, now we look back on those times with rose-tinted glasses, especially Italia 90.

"Gareth Southgate’s record speaks for itself. He’s taken us to more semi-finals and finals than any other England manager. I think more was probably made of two or three idiots throwing pints of beer at him after one of the games. Who knows what kind of state those people were in when they did it. When you see the pictures on the TV, they don’t look good and that is the type of thing that goes mad on social media. Those types of incidents help to portray an unpopular image of the manager and accentuate, which is unfair and not a true representation of all England fans.

"People have been moaning about our style of play, and, if Gareth leaves at the end of this tournament, and I think he probably will, we should look back on this as a golden period under him. If we win it and he fancies having a crack at the World Cup, it would be pretty difficult to deny him that opportunity."

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