The appointment of Gareth Southgate as England manager would have seemed bizarre in the summer.

A few months on and everybody has an accepted view that the former Middlesbrough defender is the man for the job.

The 46-year old has signed a four year contract to allow him the chance to change England’s hopes in the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020.

Before Sam Allardyce’s become the 15th permanent manger of the national team there was a sense that Southgate would be a step backwards, with a cv lacking in experience for the big occasions of national tournaments. However a big push for a English manger, after Allardcye’s departure, meant that the interim position was only going to be given to one man. Along with being already in the FA setup as the under 21’s coach for three years meant nobody grumbled at the choice.

The former Aston Villa defenders results in his short time in charge didn’t damper any chances of getting the position permanently. A comfortable 2-0 win over Malta was expected followed by a unconvincing draw away in Slovenia gave out mixed signals to whether the job should be Southgate’s permanently.  A another World Cup qualifying victory, beating rivals Scotland 3-0 showed the capabilities of his management. Along with a good performance against Spain drawing 2-2, put a seal on the envelope for the interim job to be turned permanent. Four games unbeaten and seven goals shows promise.

Having received 57 caps for England himself, he has the passion for the job and that is the driving force of the FA’s and players belief  that Southgate can succeed in the role.

Previous mangers have had promising displays in qualifiers and friendlies but ultimately failed to achieve results on the big stage. This has given a platform for a resounding content that whoever got the job cant do any worse than Roy Hodgson’s time in charge. In that Southgate may actually fulfill the hopes of a national sick of failure when the silverware comes up for grabs.