Terry Gormley’s Post

In Southgate We Trust Yet another Semi Final appearance under Gareth’s leadership, something that in recent years has become the norm. Yet he still gets his fair share of abuse. I get and understand everyone has their opinions and would potentially play this player or play that shape. But can we all agree he has done a fantastic job to date? Prior to Gareth taking the reins England exited Euro 2016 at the last 16 stage losing to Iceland, and even worse at the 2014 World Cup where we finished bottom of the group. Does he play open attacking football? No! Something I believe we are all crying out for especially with this crop of offensive players, but we all have to appreciate the success he has brought in his time as our Manager. Would you settle for the lack of free flowing attractive football for us to be successful and win the Tournament? I have been in many successful sides, having gained six promotions and I would say over the course of a Season we played Excellent couple times, Very Good a hand full of times, Good 8-10 Times and Average the rest. My point to this is, I play football to win. And I’m realistic that we are not going to be fluent and consistently playing to our maximum. Am I disheartened at our current style as a National team? Yes. But I guarantee we won’t be talking about our lack of intensity and efforts in front of goal if we are to be lifting the Trophy in a week’s time. We are not blessed in that group of players with many winners, and at the latter stages of a tournament that experience is huge. John Stones, Kyle Walker, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham all regularly winning Trophies but on the International stage have yet to put one on the board. Do we have what it takes to get over the line? Do you need serial winners to be successful on the International stage? If that’s the case Jack Grealish should be apart of that group but that’s another discussion point.

Gareth Southgate Resigns as England Manager In the wake of England's heart-wrenching 2-1 defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final, Gareth Southgate has stepped down as the national team's manager. Southgate, who served as manager for eight years, cited the need for "a new chapter" in his illustrious career. His tenure has seen England achieve remarkable highs, including a World Cup semi-final in 2018 and a Euro 2020 final. Despite the recent loss, Southgate's leadership brought renewed hope and respectability to English football. Reflecting on his time as manager, Southgate described playing for and managing England as "the honour of my life." His commitment and dedication have been evident throughout his tenure, having navigated the team through four major tournaments. His departure marks the end of an era, but it also heralds the beginning of a new phase for England. FA Chief Executive Mark Bullingham has already stated that the process of appointing a new manager is underway, with an interim coach likely to take charge during the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches. As Southgate steps aside, the football community is left to ponder his legacy. He undoubtedly laid a strong foundation for future success and fostered an environment where players could thrive. His departure signals an opportunity for fresh leadership to build on these foundations and take the England team to new heights. While speculation about his successor is rife, one thing is certain: Southgate's influence will be deeply missed. #GarethSouthgate #EnglandManager #Euro2024

Rodri is one of more than 10 midfielders who progressive the ball in the English Premier League per 90 minutes, but can you imagine that every player who surpasses Rodri in progressive the ball per 90 minutes lost the ball under pressure more than Rodri, and this is a point that should have been mentioned. In order to keep the conversation in a more natural context, the Manchester City team remains less exposed to pressure because City is one of the teams that most protects the ball and one of the teams that is least exposed to pressure. However, despite this, Rodri is the player who receives the ball the most in City, the fourth-most ball-touches in the final third in City, and the most touches of the ball in midfield. Naturally, Rodri becomes the player most exposed to pressure, despite this, Rodri One of the players who loses the ball the least under pressure at City and in the English Premier League. Rodri is considered a special and exceptional case in the English Premier League because he adds to the strength of the City team and has become an indispensable pillar due to the great comprehensiveness of the advanced player’s capabilities.

This post from James Hall, which some may now consider dated, perfectly illustrates the challenges facing many #businessleaders today: 1️⃣ 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. We should be clear on the outcomes we are going to judge performance against. I'd respectfully suggest that #popularity is not an objective outcome 2️⃣ 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. Thankfully, few businesses are as complex as the English Football Team, although we all have stakeholders. I would suggest that it's important to establish stakeholder salience and prioritise stakeholders actual 'legitimacy' above those making the most noise 3️⃣ 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀. We are all unique, but unless we can 'buy into' and uphold our business values and standards, we risk undermining the credibility of both our brand and reputation 4️⃣ 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽. It is all too easy for business leaders to blame others for under-performance. We should strive to avoid promoting a #blameculture, learn from experience, and enable others to learn and develop. Well done, England and #GarethSouthgate. Performances to be proud of

Following my last post, it only seems fair to look at the Pass Map data from the Euro's final. There are so many more stories to be told from other types of data but this tells its own story. It was thought that England would stay with the 3-4-3 shape that they used so well in the previous two games but the data suggests (sort of) that they went with a 4-2-3-1 pushing Bellingham (10) out to the left, rather than Foden (11) - who was tasked with man-marking Rodri out of the game. The picture painted here is incoherent: thin relationships and plenty of disconnections. To qualify this, it must be noted that England only had a third of the possession but even with the ball, they only completed 78% of passes (compared to Spain's 90%). Kane (9) is ineffective (again) with only 4 passes between him and Bellingham connecting him to the game. The greatest threat was down the right flank. Saka (7) was the most advanced player and was strongly connected with Walker (2). Indeed, the plan was to try and isolate Cucurella, deemed the weak link in Spain's defence. Foden's (11) defensive discipline meant he was nullified as a creative force. Mainoo (26) remained untrusted and Rice (4) could not progress the ball, finding only Bellingham of the front 4. A theme was that Pickford (1) constantly (and ineffectively) chose to go long, instead of playing into the holding midfielders to build up play. The strongest passing connection was between Stones (5) and Pickford, weighted towards Stones passing back, followed by Pickford punting long. England executed a disciplined mid-block defensive display for the first 45 minutes, stifling Spain's creativity and nullifying threat. But England barely made an impression in the final third with only Saka averaging a position further forward than the centre circle. Spain could play a high line without fear that Kane would run in behind at any point. In the end, the team cohesion of Spain - the team play (their pass map is a thing of beauty, and everyone connected well), the tactical rotations (Ruiz, Carvajal, Yamal combined to tear apart England's structure for the first goal) - trumped England's reliance on moments of individual brilliance. Source: Opta

We've beaten ourselves up over the last few weeks about how England have been playing. But we can stop worrying now. All that matters is getting the job done… How many times have England teams been called naive in the past? How many times have they fallen short because they couldn’t see out a game? Not this team. Or at least not until now. No matter what happens, no-one can call this tournament a failure. Losing in a semi-final to the Netherlands would be disappointing. It would be falling short of the goal, but it isn’t disgraceful. Nor can anyone brand Gareth Southgate a failure. Three semi-finals in four tournaments tells its own story. England had two semi-final appearances in 48 years before he came into the job. I understand why people have been upset at the style. I myself have questioned how we have played as much as anyone. Particularly with the talent we have. But it’s got to the point now where the arguments over style don’t matter. England, with some dull draws, a last-second overhead kick and a penalty shoot out have put themselves in a position to win Euro 2024. Go back to my generation or beyond, we would have loved to have had that opportunity. But we never even gave ourselves a chance, unlike this team. I was thinking about what Sir Alex Ferguson would say. To be clear, over the course of a season, he believed you needed to play with possession, tempo and rhythm, because without being better in those departments, you couldn’t expect to win trophies. Yet if he was here, at this stage of the tournament, with two games to history, he wouldn’t care how he got it done. Stay in the game, he would say. Just get over the line. Two games out from history, it’s a case of getting this done. Best of luck to Gareth and the team tonight 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Everybody before the EUROS talked about Southgate not picking Grealish, and forgot to mention not including the likes of Henderson or Phillips which now are the main problems in this England team. Highlighted today by Sam Wallace in the Telegraph, “the 1-1 draw against Denmark in Euro 2024 revealed significant weaknesses in the England squad. While Jack Grealish's inclusion was a major talking point, it's the absence of experienced midfielders like Jordan Henderson and Kalvin Phillips that's proving to be more critical. The lack of stability and leadership in the midfield was evident, contributing to a less cohesive performance. As we progress through the tournament, it's becoming clear that the selection decisions are impacting England's overall strategy and performance. It's crucial for Southgate to address these gaps if England is to advance successfully in Euro 2024.” https://lnkd.in/gW4rZTgK #Euro2024 #England #Football #Leadership #TeamStrategy #Telegraph #GarethSouthgate #SportsAnalysis

BIG DECISION FOR PEP GUARDIOLA Pep Guardiola's Future Uncertain: Reports are swirling that Manchester City's head coach, Pep Guardiola, may be receiving a surprising offer to leave the team next year. Guardiola, who has previously coached FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich, is in the final year of his contract with Man City. It's unclear whether he will stay or move on to a new opportunity. England Manager Speculation Ends: There were rumors that Guardiola could become England's next permanent manager, but those hopes were dashed when Thomas Tuchel was appointed by the FA. Guardiola has not made a decision about his future yet. Parting Ways with Man City: Guardiola hinted that he may leave Man City when the sporting director, Txiki Begiristain, moves on in the summer. He expressed gratitude for Begiristain's support and contribution to the team. Potential Replacements and Surprising Offers: Reports suggest that Man City has three potential managers in mind to replace Guardiola. Additionally, there is a surprising offer from the Saudi Pro League for Guardiola, with a multimillion-dollar contract on the table. The Brazil national team has also shown interest in him. Decision Time for Guardiola: Guardiola faces a tough decision about his future. While staying at Man City is an option, the Saudi offer presents a new opportunity that could change the course of his career. Money, leading an emerging project, and his ties to the region are all factors he must consider before making a decision. Follow the Kilowiblog channel on WhatsApp: https://lnkd.in/dJw5GDAc

As the England football team prepare for their important Euros semi-final match this evening against The Netherlands, we felt it perfect timing to remind everyone how critical it is to be well prepared and informed. The England football team much like The Listening Co. understand how important it is to have detailed insights. We give you the client insights you need to 'save' your existing clients and enable you to build for the next level. So speak with us today before it's too late and you are out of the competition. #ClientFeedback #ClientInsights #ClientFeedbackProgram #ClientRetention #BusinessGrowth

The date is June 24th 2022 and the England Women’s Football Team, widely known as The Lionesses, are playing the Netherlands – the reigning European champions, in a warm-up game prior to the start of the UEFA Women’s Euros. It’s half time and the score is 1-1 and Sarina Wiegman, the recently appointed England coach is not happy. “Girls” she exclaimed in the dressing room “I’m not sure what weight is on your shoulders, but please shake it off. Right now we’re playing not to lose. Let’s play some football and go for the win”* With this message ringing loudly in their ears, the team came out for the second half to be bolder and focus more on scoring goals rather than just not conceding them – it was as if a brake had been released. The contrast to the first half could not have been greater, and at the end of the match the final score was England 5 – Netherlands 1, and The Lionesses were on the way to what would be a gloriously successful Euros tournament just a few weeks later. Playing not to lose in business is an all too familiar problem. It’s the equivalent of mid-market mediocrity where competitors battle ferociously to out-bland each other with desperately dull and familiar variations to the norm. A fear of going backwards or being left behind suffocates any urgency to adopt a different approach to make more or better or quicker progress. Such fear is irrational, but without a clear strategy that incorporates some risk and exploration of the unknown, it can seem an ever-present drag on creativity and innovation. The most successful organisations and the most successful people understand this and develop strategies that recognise that just because you’re not losing, it doesn’t necessarily mean you win. #strategy #business #leadership *Credit: Sarina Wiegman – What It Takes: My Playbook on Life and Leadership