Gareth Southgate reveals Chris Coleman inspiration over accepting England job

Gareth Southgate has revealed he initially rejected the England job because of the pain of Euro '96 but was inspired to change his mind by former Wales manager Chris Coleman.

Southgate, who led England to the World Cup semi-final in 2018, was unsure about accepting the role full-time after being named as caretaker boss in September 2016 following Sam Allardyce's resignation.

The 50-year-old says he did not want to suffer similar heartache to his penalty miss against Germany twenty years earlier but revealed former teammate Coleman convinced him to think differently.

Asked on ITV's ‘This Morning’ if he had rejected the job due to a fear of failure, Southgate said: "Very much so.

"Having experienced what I did in 96 [missing a penalty in the semi-final defeat to Germany], that hurts, and the brain works in a way that it doesn't want to put you in those situations again.

"But I actually watched Wales when they got to the semi-finals of the Euros four years ago and an old teammate of mine, Chris Coleman, was the manager.

"He spoke about not being fearful of taking those challenges and how he'd had to step up and do that.

"I was sitting with my son and I thought, 'I'd tell my son exactly that but I've actually backed away from this challenge'. I took myself out of that opportunity.

"I had to look myself in the mirror and say, 'No, if I'm going to talk about those things with my own son, I've got to step out myself'.

"I'm so pleased I did because the experiences I've had and the privilege of being manager of the national team has been an absolute honour."

Southgate was promoting his new book, ‘Anything Is Possible: Be Brave, Be Kind & Follow Your Dreams’, which explores his journey from introverted teenager to England manager and is meant to inspire young people.

"I hope now I'm in a position where my voice is heard that we can make a positive difference to young people," he said.

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