The verdict is in from the constituency that matters the most.
England’s players are “delighted” that Gareth Southgate is staying on for a run at Euro 2024, with a deeply held belief that the group is improving and he is the right man to continue that progression.
In the aftermath of the gut-wrenching quarter-final defeat to France, Southgate toyed with the idea of stepping away from the England head coach role, bruised by a summer of discontent that preceded a World Cup when the national team seemed to make further progress.
He came close to resigning before concluding that he retained the backing of the players. On Sunday, it was confirmed that he would stay on.
It falls to Kieran Trippier, one of England’s most experienced and reliable foot soldiers, a veteran of two World Cups and a Euros campaign that came within a kick of triumph, to reflect the feeling from within a camp that is as unified as any Three Lions group in modern history.
“We are all absolutely delighted about it,” Trippier says. “From the moment he first took charge until now we’ve taken huge steps. Players want to play for England, they know what it means to put the shirt on. He’s a great man manager and I think all the lads would say that.
“Speaking from myself I’m delighted that he’s staying on and I know that all the rest of the players are too.”
In the country that delight was not necessarily universally shared. Whether that was a hangover from a disastrous Nations League campaign or the theory that England should be achieving more with a group of such rich attacking talent is unclear.
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But those at the coalface have a different perspective: that England are a team progressing, and that the manner of their exit in Qatar had a very different feel from previous quarter-final disappointment.
“I think we have moved forward, for sure,” Trippier says. “You see the freedom the players had to attack and you just have to look at the France game. I thought we were brilliant in that game. We were so disappointed to lose the game but I thought we performed very, very well against the holders at the time.
“We have taken huge steps: it was another learning curve for us but we move on now, we’ve got to focus on the next international break now.”
A Euros in Germany will be tough, even for a team with talent young enough to grow with the group. The hosts have a new crop of players emerging, France illustrated their evergreen ability in Doha even without injured players and Croatia continue to dine at the top table. Chastened Spain, Portugal and defending champions Italy will all have a say.
But the message now consistently coming from the camp is that England don’t fear any of them.
A case in point: a useful barometer of the mood in the England camp is the noticeable lack of experienced players stepping forward to draw the curtain on their international careers.
Jordan Henderson, Kyle Walker and Trippier are all 32 but all had a role in the World Cup campaign. All three are aware of the march of youth but still harbour a desire to be part of the group that attempts to qualify and then looks to take the next step in Germany.
“Yes I want to play on. I know I’m up against tough competition,” Trippier says.
“All I can do is focus on myself, focus on my club and keep giving my best. If I get called up and don’t play I’ll always give 100 per cent. If I don’t go I’ll still support England as well as I can. You’ll get no bitterness from me.”
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Trippier’s focus now turns to club matters. Newcastle sit in the Champions League places and have moved into the last eight of the Carabao Cup. The city senses the team could be on the verge of something.
“That’s why I came to Newcastle,” he says.
“As long as I feel I’ve helped the club move forward I’ll be delighted. We need to believe as a team. The manager speaks about it a lot and I know the leaders do too. We believe we can produce something special this season.
“The togetherness is the most important thing, I’m a big believer in that. If we all stick together we can achieve massive things at this club.”
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