Last England games in charge for managers as Gareth Southgate battles on
England's comeback against Germany last night might have briefly dispelled concerns over their dreadful form of late, but make no mistake, things need to improve fast for Gareth Southgate to still be in the job come 2023.
Three draws and three defeats from six Nations League matches this year makes for dire reading and sees the Three Lions relegated to League B – a fate which could see them land a tricky qualifying group for Euro 2024.
Calls for Southgate to be sacked began in earnest a few months ago, and while almost nothing will stop him leading the side into Qatar, many feel that an early exit from the tournament could spell the end for England's waistcoated warrior.
With that in mind, Daily Star Sport has taken a look back at some of the infamous matches that spelled the end for England bosses in the past.
READ MORE: Gareth Southgate doesn't deserve the sack but here's why England should consider it
Roy Hodgson – England 1-2 Iceland
Did anyone really think Roy Hodgson was the answer for England? Probably not, but that didn't stop him from leading the Three Lions into three major international tournaments.
The axe finally swung following England's dismal defeat to minnows Iceland in the round of 16 at Euro 2016 – the second successive tournament that Hodgson's side had all but limped their way through.
The official word was that the FA simply decided not to renew Hodgson's contract, but in truth it was nothing more than a cold, hard sacking – and one that had been coming for a while.
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Steve McClaren – England 2-3 Croatia
England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008 was an unmitigated disaster, not least because their so-called 'golden generation' were all at the absolute peak of their powers at the time … at club level at least.
Steve McClaren's side stumbled their way through qualifying, but still had their fate in their own hands heading into the final round of fixtures. All they had to do was avoid defeat to Croatia, though they were deservedly beaten, thanks in-part to a couple of goalkeeping blunders (boy, do England love those).
McClaren was dubbed the 'wally with the brolly' when images of him standing on the soaked Wembley touchline pitifully clinging to an umbrella did the rounds in the next morning's papers. He was sacked a few hours later, and no one batted an eyelid.
Kevin Keegan – England 0-1 Germany
Kevin Keegan took the decision out of the FA's hands by quitting his job in the aftermath of England's 1-0 defeat to Germany in 2000 in what was the final game at the old Wembley.
With a disappointing performance at Euro 2000 in the rear-view mirror, the Three Lions were well off the pace in qualifying and were in danger of not making it to the 2002 World Cup.
After the Germany defeat, Keegan handed in his resignation, admitting he didn't feel capable enough for the job anymore and that it was "time to go" – and just as well too, with his replacement Sven-Goran Eriksson masterminding a now fabled 5-1 victory in the reverse fixture 11 months later.
Graham Taylor – England 7-1 San Marino
As strange as it sounds, beating San Marino 7-1 got Graham Taylor the sack – though there's method to the madness. England were third in their 1994 World Cup qualifying group heading into the final round of fixtures and needed to beat part-time minnows San Marino by seven goals, and hope that Netherlands lost to Poland, to make it to the US.
Incredibly, San Marino took the lead after just eight seconds, courtesy of computer salesman David Gualtieri. It then took England 20 minutes to find an equaliser, and despite eventually sealing a comfortable victory, they fell short of the required winning margin.
As it turned out, the Netherlands beat Poland, so England's failure to thump a team of semi-professionals didn't really matter, but Taylor bore the brunt of the nation's justifiable fury and resigned a week later.
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