How does Gareth Southgate's record compare to previous England managers?

Gareth Southgate
(Image credit: PA)

One question has dominated the post-tournament debrief ever since the curtain was drawn on England's World Cup 2022 campaign – should Gareth Southgate stay on as manager?

The former Middlesbrough and England Under-21s boss has enjoyed an impressive run in charge of the Three Lions. 

Southgate guided England to the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in 28 years in Russia, before leading them to the Euro 2020 final, where they lost on penalties to Italy.

In Qatar, their run came to an end against defending champions France, but England flew home with their heads held high after putting in some good displays.

The level of Southgate’s responsibility for the exit has been debated fiercely in the last few days, as has his suitability to lead the national team forward.

The man himself admitted he will “need time” to decide if he wants to continue, while the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel and Eddie Howe are already being linked with the job.

But how does Southgate’s record as England manager stack up against his predecessors?

Best major tournament performances

Sir Geoff Hurst, England, 1966 - Euro 2020

England won the World Cup for the only time in 1966 on home soil (Image credit: Getty Images)
  • Winners: 1966 World Cup – Alf Ramsey
  • Runners-up: Euro 2020 – Gareth Southgate
  • Third place: Euro 1968 & Euro 1996* – Alf Ramsey & Terry Venables (*joint-third, no play-off)
  • Fourth place: 2018 World Cup & 1990 World Cup – Gareth Southgate & Bobby Robson

Games won at major tournaments

  • 11 – Gareth Southgate
  • 8 – Alf Ramsey
  • 7 – Sven-Goran Eriksson
  • 5 – Bobby Robson

Win percentage (more than one game, sorry Big Sam)

Fabio Capello

Capello has the best win percentage of any England manager, despite a forgettable major tournament record (Image credit: Getty)
  • 1. Fabio Capello – 66.7% (P42 W28 D8 L6)
  • 2. Alf Ramsey – 61.1% (P113 W69 D27 L17)
  • 3. Glenn Hoddle – 60.7% (P28 W17 D6 L5)
  • 4. Gareth Southgate – 60.5% (P81 W49 D18 L14)
  • 5. Ron Greenwood – 60.0% (P55 W33 D12 L10)

Most games

  • 139 – Walter Winterbottom
  • 113 – Alf Ramsey
  • 95 – Bobby Robson
  • 81 – Gareth Southgate
  • 67 – Sven-Goran Eriksson

Most wins overall

  • 78 – Walter Winterbottom
  • 69 – Alf Ramsey
  • 49 – Gareth Southgate
  • 47 – Bobby Robson
  • 40 – Sven-Goran Eriksson

Most defeats overall

  • 28 – Walter Winterbottom
  • 18 – Bobby Robson
  • 17 – Alf Ramsey
  • 14 – Gareth Southgate
  • 10 – Sven-Goran Eriksson

England records under Southgate

  • Biggest World Cup win – 6-1 vs Panama in 2018
  • Biggest European Championship win – 4-0 vs Ukraine in 2020
  • Biggest win in a competitive international – 10-0 vs San Marino in 2021
  • Heaviest defeat in a competitive international – 4-0 vs Hungary in 2022
  • Longest unbeaten streak – 22 games from November 2020 to March 2022

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Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.