Four in 10 England fans think they could do a better job as manager than Gareth Southgate

Four in 10 England supporters believe they could do a better job as manager of the national side than current boss Gareth Southgate, a new survey has found.

Southgate was first appointed England manager in 2016 and has led the Three Lions during one of the most successful periods in their history.

He guided England to the semi-finals of the inaugural Nations League before reaching the last four of the 2018 World Cup, where they were beaten by Croatia.

Southgate and England went on step further at Euro 2020, reaching the final before losing on penalties to Italy at Wembley.

Since that defeat, England have struggled for consistency and were recently relegated from the top tier of the Nations League after picking up just three points from their six games.

England are now without a win in six matches, their worst run of form in nearly three decades, prompting fans to question if Southgate is the right man to lead the Three Lions at the World Cup in Qatar this winter.

England were recently relegated from the top tier of the Nations League (Image: Alamy)

While a number of managers – including Mauricio Pochettino, Graham Potter and Jose Mourinho – have been touted as potential successors to Southgate, a new study has found that four in 10 England fans think they could do a better job than the current Three Lions boss.

888 Sport surveyed 425 males and females aged 18-65 across England and found that 40 per cent of those polled believed they would be a better manager than Southgate.

Despite their recent struggles, England are currently the bookies' fourth favourites to win the World Cup, behind only Brazil, France and Argentina.

England boss Gareth Southgate finds himself under pressure ahead of the World Cup (Image: Alamy)

But only a quarter of the England fans surveyed expect their side to reach the final of the tournament in the Middle East.

England face Iran in their opening match on November 21 at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.

They will then take on the United States at the Al-Bayt Stadium in Al Khor on November 25 before playing their final group game against Wales at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al-Rayyan on November 29.

Is Gareth Southgate the right manager for England? Let us know your thoughts.

Topics: England, Gareth Southgate, Football World Cup, Football

Rory O'Callaghan

Rory O'Callaghan is Editorial Lead at SPORTbible. He has previously worked for Sky Sports News, MailOnline and Reach covering football, cricket, boxing and MMA. Tested daily as a Liverpool fan in a Manchester office.

@rory_ocallaghan