GARETH'S FOURTH ACT

Southgate needs Euros success more than play

- MIKE WALTERS

WHEN the lights went down and the curtain went up, Gareth Southgate never went to watch Dear England. 

James Graham's hit West End play about his Three Lions reign was acclaimed by the critics, and Joseph Fiennes portrayal of Southgate was a good fit, like the manager's signature waistcoat at the World Cup in Russia.

But the real-life star of the show decided to give it a miss "because I want to win a trophy and gain respect that way" Southgate's pitch-perfect open letter to England supporters ahead of Euro 2020, also titled 'Dear England' was an inspired tug on a nation's heartstrings.

Yet he was too modest to enjoy a night at the theatre about himself, and the role of his England team in the national psyche, because it would have felt awkward.