Management Career
Southgate was handed his first managerial role at Middlesbrough in June 2006 after McClaren had left to manage England. His appointment drew controversy as he did not have the required coaching qualifications (the UEFA Pro Licence) to manage a top-flight club. He was allowed to stay on as manager, however, by the Premier League in November 2006; Middlesbrough successfully argued that, because Southgate had recently been an international player, he did not have the opportunity to undertake the coaching courses.
Southgate was one of the current batch of coaches on the UEFA Pro course and was expected to graduate some time in the summer of 2009.
In his first season in charge, Southgate guided Middlesbrough to a respectable 12th position in the Premier League. His biggest win as a manager was an 8–1 victory against Manchester City in May 2008; he was also rated by Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger as being "good enough" to be England manager in December 2007. He faced some criticism early in the 2007–08 season after Boro had a spell in the relegation zone but they later pulled clear of the bottom three. Southgate became the first Middlesbrough Manager since Terry Venables in 2001 to win the Premier League Manager of the Month award, for August 2008, awarded on 12 September 2008.
In November 2008, Southgate took Middlesbrough up to 8th place after an away win against on-form Aston Villa; however, Boro would thereafter go 14 games without a win, finally defeating Liverpool at home 2–0 on 28 February 2009. It seemed Middlesbrough fans were finally losing patience with Southgate on 21 March 2009 after an away defeat against Stoke, with some of the travelling supporters calling for his head after only achieving one win in 18 games and relegation survival looking unlikely. On 24 March 2009, Middlesbrough Chairman Steve Gibson gave Southgate a vote of confidence, and announced his job was safe.
In May 2009 after a poor season in the Premier League, Southgate's Middlesbrough finished in 19th position and were relegated to the Championship after a 2–1 defeat against West Ham. After the relegation Southgate said he was determined and vowed to stay with the club and fight to get them back into the Premier League. He praised the supporters and said that he felt for them.
On 20 October 2009, less than two hours after a 2–0 victory over Derby County, Southgate was dismissed as manager with Middlesbrough in fourth place in the Championship. The decision was controversial as he had taken Boro to within one point of the top position.
Read more about this topic: Gareth Southgate
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