The Players

	It's been interesting to follow Steve McLaren's progress and learn from his experience as a manager

When it comes to footballers taking massive – losing – punts, Gareth Southgate knows all about it. A nation held its breath as the ex-England star famously took the biggest gamble of his life on the evening of 26 June 1996. He may not have had a single penny staked on it, but that ill-fated penalty shoot-out with Germany in the European Championships cost him dearly – he lost a reputation. Money from the self-deprecating Pizza Hut adverts that followed must have softened the blow, but even today, Southgate won’t talk to interviewers about the moment that for many has come to define his career.

As I meet with him on a bleak Teeside morning, dwelling on the pain of Euro ’96 isn’t on my agenda. Gambling within the game is, though, and following weeks of tabloid outcries, most recently directed at Wayne Rooney’s reported £700,000 debts, Southgate is the player who’s brave enough to step up to the spot and admit he’s still partial to a punt.

‘I enjoy gambling,’ explains the 36-year-old – appropriately enough, given that he captains Middlesbrough, a side sponsored by 888.com. ‘Gambling goes on in society and players have always gambled. I don’t see anything wrong with drinking or gambling if they’re done in moderation and under control. There are a lot of influences in football. The younger guys are still growing up, they have to find their own path. It’s up to the more senior players, coaches and managers to help them along the way.’

But while the latest tabloid tales paint a worrying picture, Southgate’s clearly not entirely convinced by what he’s read. ‘Even though these young guys earn a lot, these sums are disturbing. It can’t be right,’ he concludes.

A composed and polished defender on the pitch, Southgate has built up a reputation as a man whose words count off it. A natural leader, he stamps his authority on changing-room matters at the Riverside. So much so that his centre-half partner at Boro, Chris Riggott, was full of praise when questioned recently on Southgate’s credentials as a future manager.

‘He’s always there to put his arm round you to offer advice,’ were Riggot’s words on the man who has held the club’s defensive wall together since Steve McLaren signed him for Boro in the summer of 2001. Surely this man is cut from the cloth of future dug-out rulers? Or do afternoons of celebrity golf or media punditry lie in wait? Retirement in Spain, perhaps?

‘Probably none of those,’ laughs Southgate. ‘I’d rather stay within football. I’ve been in it for 20 years and I may as well use that experience. I get a lot of satisfaction out of helping the younger players and I think I’ll do that in the future. And I may well want to play on past my current contract [he’s signed a deal to keep him at the Riverside until 2007].

‘Management is extremely interesting,’ adds Southgate. ‘I worked with Steve [McLaren] within the England setup, so I was keen to come here and help him in his first managerial role. It’s been interesting to follow his progress and learn from his experience as a manager. He and the backroom staff have involved me in things that I might not have been involved in at other clubs. It’s been a great insight into how to approach things as a new manager.’

Words of support for McLaren, then, you’d think. But while the bookmakers heated up the recent race for the appointment of the new England boss, Southgate stuck his neck out and poured cold water on McLaren’s claims for the role, saying he didn’t believe his club boss was ready for the job. Those words seem to have fallen on deaf ears at the FA. [and with McLaren taking up the Lions’ reins, Southgate has since taken over as Boro manager – Ed]

Always a big crowd favourite wherever he has played – at Crystal Palace where he started off his career in central midfield, at Villa where he was converted into a centre back and finally at Boro, where he won Player of the Year in his first season – Southgate is nevertheless a team player first and foremost. And in an age when footballers are increasingly clinical and detached from their fan base, he has stood out by wearing his heart on his sleeve. One glance at his demeanour on the pitch and what you see is a fan in a football shirt. He cares in a very British way.

The vocal support on Teeside has played its part, too, something the player will always be grateful for. ‘[The fans] have always been very supportive from the minute I came here,’ explains Southgate. ‘Part of that is obviously that I played quite well, but I really have appreciated the way they have been towards me. I enjoy the interaction we have, I care passionately about the club; it’s not about individuals here and I think that people understand that.’

Indeed, the defender’s passion is epitomised by his famous victory salute at the final whistle. Charging with fists raised to all corners of the ground in a three-punch salute, Southgate’s love of winning has been embraced by adoring fans on home soil. ‘These days, people even complain when I don’t do the salute! I didn’t invent it here; I did it on odd occasions at Villa. But I did it a lot in my first season and the crowd really took to it. To be honest, it’s become a bit of an embarrassment to me when I see it in the cold light of day afterwards… but that’s football!’

The suit and manager’s hot seat beckon, but it seems the spark – and the heart – that put Southgate and his career on the spot a decade ago will surely stay with him even when he pulls off his boots for the last time. Who knows, one day maybe he might even follow his mentor McClaren and take the England reins. Perhaps that would finally erase the memories of that night at Wembley.