Let’s be honest.. hasn’t it been a great Summer so far, especially with the FIFA World Cup!
All the surprises… who would have thought Germany would’ve gone out during the group stages… or that Croatia would’ve made it to the Finals?
Or how’s about, England making it to the Semi Finals? I know… although there was a moment we all thought that the finals were ours… we did very well in Russia this summer.
But most in particular for me, it came down to one thing. Leadership.
That’s right… the leader, the manager, the person in charge. Mr. Southgate.
Couple of things that really stood out for me….. (that made it a bit magical).
1. The Passion.
A normally quiet kind of guy… composed and not necessarily always full of emotions… however, the passion was there.
When we won, there was a moment when Gareth would walk over to the fans and really encourage them… Thank them…. show the passion!
And this filtered down to the players. They played with passion. They stepped up and that’s one of the reasons why the England team did well.
2. The Experience
We know he’s been there. He’s experienced heart ache. He’s got the scars and the stories.
You have to have been through those times, those difficult times…. where either things haven’t gone right and/or you know what could’ve made it better.
And it’s that…that helps you learn. Make things better for the future. With experience…. comes that knowledge.
3. Humanity
There were several other words I could’ve used. Compassion. Kindness. Sympathy…..
After the Semi Final game…. Gareth, hugged each devasted player. Hugged the staff.
After the majority had gone home. Hugged his wife. It’s this quality that shows he cares. Deep down… he cares. It matters to him. A lot.
Even at the press conference, thanked the players, the staff, the fans – especially those who travelled over… thanked Russia for hosting such a wonderful World Cup, thanked everyone.
Thank you Gareth. You exceeded expectations.