- Couche-Tard executives in Japan to push 7-Eleven deal
- Martin targets mistake-free Australia MotoGP as Bagnaia lurks
- Tennis world No. 1 Swiatek hires stars' coach Fissette
- French Senate speaker 'astounded' by Macron 'ignorance' on Israel
- Israel strikes Syria, US pounds Huthis in Yemen
- India all out for record home Test low of 46 against New Zealand
- China says UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy to visit this week
- Iran Guards chief warns will hit Israel 'painfully' if attacks Iranian targets
- Pakistan tottering at 43-3 in England Test after Bashir takes three
- Zelensky in Brussels to defend 'victory plan' at EU and NATO
- Markets mixed as China's latest stimulus leaves traders wanting
- Climate-hit Pacific Islands plot landmark UN court case
- India collapse to 34-6 after opting to bat against New Zealand
- Israel strikes Syrian city, US pounds Huthis in Yemen
- Taiwan's TSMC posts sharp rise in third quarter net profit
- Pakistan's Sajid takes seven as England all out 291, trail by 75
- Kenya Senate to vote on deputy president's impeachment
- Bronski Beat's gay anthem 'Smalltown Boy' strikes chord 40 years on
- NATO to weigh Zelensky plan in US vote's shadow
- Trial into Brazil mining disaster to open in London
- Italy's Di Giannantonio to miss final two MotoGP for surgery
- Hard talk on migration expected at EU summit
- South Korea's Hwang Ui-jo faces four years in jail for sex video
- Israel pounds Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon
- India slams 'cavalier' Trudeau in Sikh separatist murder row
- 'Love match' apps rival traditional matchmaking in Pakistan
- Asian markets rally but China's latest stimulus leaves traders wanting
- UN report says 1.1 billion people in acute poverty
- Vietnam death row tycoon awaits verdict in new trial
- 'Our time has come': the female Indian director hoping to make Oscars history
- Bondi beach 'closed' as Sydney shores hit by 'tar balls'
- Dodgers smash Mets to seize lead in MLB playoff series
- China to almost double support for unfinished housing projects
- King Charles heads to Australia, a nation shrugs
- China to boost credit for property market, renovate 1 mn homes
- New York fight back to take 2-1 lead over Lynx in WNBA Finals
- Family feud reignites over Singapore ex-PM's historic home
- ECB set to cut rates again as inflation cools
- Malinin, Sakamoto headline pre-Winter Olympics figure skating season
- Prospective Paris FC takeover could transform French football landscape
- Asian markets rally, with eyes on China housing briefing
- China's underground lab seeks answer to deep scientific riddle
- China toughens Taiwan stance over president's sovereignty defence
- BTS member J-hope discharged from South Korean military
- How Indigenous guards saved a Colombian lake from overtourism
- Despite threats, Florida abortion advocate fights on
- Garcia Luna: Mexico's 'supercop' turned cartel abettor
- North Korea says constitution now defines South as 'hostile' state
- Vietnam death row tycoon faces verdict in new trial
- Menendez brothers' family call for release as US prosecutors review evidence
Gareth Southgate: England's nearly man
Gareth Southgate leaves his job as the second most successful England manager in history but with a string of agonising near-misses to his name.
Two days after the Three Lions came up just short yet again -- losing the Euro 2024 final to Spain -- the 53-year-old has stepped down, deciding it is time for a "new chapter".
The mild-mannered Southgate transformed England into a consistent force on the international stage after decades of under-achievement.
He also reshaped the team culture, breaking down barriers that had previously existed within the camp between players from rival clubs.
But he ultimately failed to end the nation's long wait for a major trophy dating back to Alf Ramsey's 1966 World Cup victory despite having a richly talented generation of players to work with.
- Humiliations -
Southgate took over with England at a low ebb after a series of humiliations on and off the pitch.
A woeful Euro 2016 exit against Iceland brought a suitably depressing end to Roy Hodgson's reign, while his successor, Sam Allardyce, lasted only 67 days and one match before being forced out after a newspaper sting.
Southgate, short of top-level managerial experience, gained credibility among previously sceptical fans with a surprise run to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals in Russia.
The diffident boss even became a style icon back home as sales of his trademark waistcoat soared.
He followed that impressive achievement by leading England to their first major final for 55 years at the Covid-delayed European Championship in 2021, where they lost on penalties to Italy.
England went out to eventual finalists France in the quarter-finals in Qatar in 2022 but there were still positive signs that this was a young and exciting team heading in the right direction.
Southgate's men were among the favourites to finally get over the line at Euro 2024 but it turned into a roller coaster of emotions for the manager, who went from having beer cups thrown at him to within touching distance of winning the cup in Berlin.
England only gelled sporadically but produced enough individual moments of brilliance to go all the way to the final.
Jude Bellingham's moment of magic with a bicycle kick deep into stoppage time against Slovakia in the round of 16 allowed Southgate to bring up his 100th match in charge against the Swiss.
But it also served as a reminder of the quality of player at his disposal.
A squad containing Real Madrid's Bellingham, Bundesliga top-scorer Harry Kane and the Premier League's player of the year Phil Foden ultimately proved to be less than the sum of its parts.
- Penalty pain -
Southgate, in his resignation statement on Tuesday, said it had been the "honour of my life to play for England and to manage England".
He was stung by the vitriol aimed at him by some fans in Germany, admitting "we all want to be loved" after England beat the Netherlands 2-1 to reach the final.
Southgate tasted the highs and lows as a manager and as a player -- famously failing from the penalty spot in a semi-final shootout loss to Germany at Euro 1990.
He had only had one managerial job -- at Middlesbrough -- when in 2013 he was put in charge of the England Under-21 team.
But he stepped up from that role after the embarrassing Allardyce episode, filling the top job on a temporary basis.
The 57-cap former defender grasped the nettle and a promising four-game interim stint earned a permanent deal.
Despite England's success, criticism of his perceived lack of tactical nous and inflexibility has always simmered.
At Euro 2024 he was accused of being too cautious, of an unwillingness to allow his men to express themselves.
But he leaves an important legacy and a framework in place for a tilt at future honours.
"He's changed our culture within our team, which is extremely difficult with players coming from different club environments," said Manchester City defender John Stones.
"To feel so comfortable within everyone's company, on the pitch -- the humility, the winning mentality."
The next manager of England might finally take the side to the promised land, but he will owe a large debt to a man described by Prince William as an "all-round class act".
A.Jones--AMWN