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Gareth Southgate just impressed a whole lot of England fans

Published 16:52 10 Oct 2016 BST

Updated 14:48 21 Nov 2016 GMT

Rob Burnett
Gareth Southgate just impressed a whole lot of England fans

Homesport

If you've got the balls to take a penalty for England in the semi-final of a major tournament on home soil, miss it, see England eliminated, and STILL go out of your house and be seen in public, then it's fair to say you're not lacking in the minerals department.

Having said that, for some reason not everyone thought Gareth Southgate had the mental toughness to take on the England job. Possibly because he's not a loud, boorish oaf, prone to bullying people. Instead, Southgate seem like such a nice young man. Well brought up. Most likely a reader. The sort of chap you'd be happy for your daughter to bring home from university. And he'd do the washing up. [caption id="attachment_91002" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]HERTFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 07: Interim England manager Gareth Southgate smiles during an England press conference at The Grove Hotel on October 7, 2016 in Hertfordshire, England. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images ) Gareth Southgate: He wouldn't stay out past his curfew (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)[/caption]   But is he hard nosed enough to bawl out Kyle Walker when he's just misplaced a crucial pass? Well if reports coming from the press pack following the England squad are correct, then the answer to the question above is a resounding 'yes'. It is now widely being reported that Southgate will drop his captain Wayne Rooney for the match against Slovenia on Tuesday night. The skipper has been under intense scrutiny after one too many sub-par performances for his country. His club form hasn't been much better, prompting Jose Mourinho to bench him for Manchester United's last three games. It looks like Southgate has now followed suit - and England fans are right behind him... https://twitter.com/GimmeMour/status/785456760463196161 https://twitter.com/trentenders/status/785456745737023488 https://twitter.com/unitedmixer89/status/785456473698689024 https://twitter.com/JtheB_DKP/status/785456062212239360

Some think he's being very canny here:

https://twitter.com/robbiejdunne/status/785455955924443136 https://twitter.com/shine_st10/status/785455869647388672 https://twitter.com/Rob_Damien/status/785455824965603328 https://twitter.com/karimansari93/status/785457558979022848 https://twitter.com/Harry_White96/status/785455299830411264 https://twitter.com/craigryansports/status/785454905104429057

Though not everyone is convinced:

https://twitter.com/2testiclestonil/status/785454589172649984 Of course it could be that England really should be winning a qualifier against Slovenia whether Rooney plays or not, and Southgate wants to try out someone else in the position, or a different formation. Catch up with the latest episode of Football Friday Live right here...
Gareth Southgate just impressed a whole lot of England fans