Southgate has issued the unprecedented ban as he doesn’t want it to become an ‘obsession’.
Gareth Southgate has issued an ‘unprecedented’ ban to every member of the England squad at Euro 2024 – and it appears to have worked a treat.
The Three Lions secured their place in the semi-final of this summer’s tournament after they beat Switzerland in a tense penalty shoot-out in Düsseldorf.
Jordan Pickford, who has been so reliable for his country over the years, gave England an early advantage when he dived to his left to save Manuel Akanji’s weak effort.
Cole Palmer slotted his penalty away with ease before Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Ivan Toney and Trent Alexander-Arnold converted from 12 yards to seal a historic win.
This wasn’t luck, however. Gareth Southgate has gone the extra mile to improve England’s previously torrid record from the spot, using several strategies to build confidence.
He has not only used analysts and a psychologist but has issued a complete ban on speaking about shoot-outs in an attempt to ‘stop it from becoming too much of an obsession’.
That’s according to a report from The Mirror, who claim Jordan Pickford, Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa have all been stopped from answering questions on penalties during this summer’s tournament in Germany.
It is also stated that Southate made a remark about an England staff member talking about penalty techniques.
Image credit: Getty
Chris Markham, who worked as Game Insights Lead at the FA for four years, has helped change England’s attitude towards penalties.
In the book ‘Pressure: Lessons From The Psychology of the Penalty Shootout by Norwegian sports professor Geir Jordet’, Markham opened up on his involvement ahead of the 2018 World Cup.
“I think I found quotes from each of the last five England managers before Gareth Southgate, not including Sam Allardyce, that said either the penalty shoot-out was a lottery, penalties are all down to luck, or that you can’t practice that kind of pressure,” he said.
“From a psychological perspective, speaking about a lottery takes ownership away from the players. And that was the thing for me to give them back.
“To take control of not just the kick itself but the whole process. Initially it was about the perceived control. How can we increase the level of perceived control for the players and the staff and everybody?”
Image credit: Getty
Markham added: “Luckily for us, Gareth and his staff were extremely open-minded and respectful of good quality work. But they don’t suffer fools gladly so we knew it had to be at a really high standard.
“Talking about run-up steps, angle, pace, you know everything from breathing techniques, optimal areas of aiming, goalkeepers, looking as gaze masks and goggles.”
People are only just finding out what iconic England supporter Andy Milne’s real job is (an)
Milne has travelled around the world to support England at major tournaments.
England superfan Andy Milne noticed a gap in the market when he visited Thailand on a school trip – so he decided to take action.
Milne, a retired biology teacher from Cheshire, achieved cult hero status in 2022 when he was spotted holding a replica of the World Cup trophy during England’s 3-0 win against Senegal.
Since that moment in Qatar, the 60-year-old has been spotted in the crowd on numerous occasions, including at this summer’s European Championship in Germany.
Andy’s journey supporting the Three Lions began in the summer of 1982, when his belongings got stolen within moments of arriving in Spain, and he has followed them ever since.
So what does he get up to away from the world of football? Well, Milne runs a successful real-life treasure hunt in Thailand after noticing the potential during a school trip with his students.
Situated on an island that is part of the Chumphon Archipelago, the ‘Treasure Island Challenge’ is a unique six-hour fully immersive experience that will take you across Koh Tao on a quest to find its hidden treasure.
Here, you will solve clues that will take you across the island and meet friendly locals to help you in your quest.
You will visit charming beaches and secret coves as part of the £36 per person activity, as well as snorkeling with a group of no more than 12 people for clues amongst marine life.
“When you arrive, you get to a pirates den, and then after the introduction, you begin. The start is like a traditional escape room,” Andy told The Mirror last year.
“Customers work out the clues to find their treasure map. Then they will set out in groups of up to 12 for the day.
“They will follow a route through the main town, visit local businesses to find their provisions and transports. The tour takes them to four beaches and view points. They get to snorkel for clues and follow a trail underwater to find a giant sea creature.”
Me: “I’m sure I read you’re a teacher, how do you get the time off?”
“I retired from teaching. when England go out I fly back to Thailand where I run an escape room concept across an island, with snorkelling to find clues”
“Ah ok.”
Like it was completely normal. Great bloke. pic.twitter.com/j7Hdz9TC8h
— Pete Hitchman (@_pete_hitchman_) July 1, 2024
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When asked about his popularity with England fans at Euro 2024, Milne said: “I think it’s because my face keeps appearing on the telly. I’ve been to a lot of tournaments, this is my ninth Euros. I’ve been to eight World Cups and the Women’s World Cup as well.”
He added: “I’ve seen no trouble, I’ve had a fantastic time, here in Frankfurt it’s glorious and the atmosphere in the fan park is unbelievable.”
Milne will likely be in attendance for Saturday’s quarter-final clash between England against Switzerland at the Dusseldorf Arena on Saturday.
Roy Keane’s X-rated text messages to Ian Wright revealed ahead of England and Slovakia clash (an)
Keane made his feelings known ahead of England vs Slovakia.
Roy Keane sent several X-rated text messages to Ian Wright about England ahead of their Euro 2024 last 16 clash against Slovakia.
Gareth Southgate’s side have so far flattered to deceive across their three performances in Germany, but still managed to top Group C.
They only scored two goals across their three games, however, with a 0-0 draw against Slovenia causing anger amongst England fans.
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The draw does mean that the Three Lions have avoided some of the tournament’s big hitters, although their route to the final could still see them having to overcome Switzerland and the Netherlands.
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What is for sure is that Southgate’s side are four knockout games away from glory – and one game away from elimination at every stage.
Some pundits have claimed that England players are ‘afraid to fail’ at Euro 2024 – which prompted Keane to begin an angry rant on WhatsApp.
The Irishman appeared on the latest episode of The Overlap’s Stick to Football in Berlin, with co-host Gary Neville reading out the details of Keane’s text argument with Wright in their group chat.
Although Neville said the messages ‘doesn’t have to make the edit’, he read out: “You brought the Euros final up, you f***ing egg [from Keane to Wright].
“All bulls**t about being afraid to fail. What bulls**t that is. England are the best at it, so they should be f**ing used to it!
“All ex-England players thinking they know about the game, when they know f**k all, and then too lazy themselves to get their coaching badges, but preach about tactics and systems and playing between the f***ing lines. It turns my f***ing stomach.”
Roy Keane’s reaction to Jude Bellingham’s overhead kick vs Slovakia has gone viral (an)
Explaining the reason behind his furious messages, Keane fired back: “You said something at the start… go back to what he said, he said something, ‘What’s that got to do with it at the Euros?’ But you brought it up!”
You can watch the full exchange below – including Wright’s comeback.
“You brought up the Euro Final, you f****** egg.”
Ever wondered what goes down in the Stick to Football group chat? 😂💬 pic.twitter.com/TkstB4txdh
— The Overlap (@WeAreTheOverlap) June 29, 2024
Neville, Wright and Keane have all been working on ITV throughout Euro 2024, and will be the punditry trio for the England versus Slovakia clash on Sunday evening.
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Roy Keane and Gary Neville were speaking on The Overlap’s Stick To Football, brought to you by Sky Bet.
