But reporter and manager relationships can’t always be pleasantries and presents. At times I have to ask the difficult questions, and you always respected that. After the game against Denmark in the group stage, I asked you if the team dropping off after scoring was an instruction from you, if Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield was working and if England were playing well enough overall. You answered them all with the same level of detail as you always did – and still walked in with the same smile and handshake before our next interview just two days later. We both had a job to do, and you knew that.
That said, this tournament did feel like it had taken its toll. While the smiles and handshakes never stopped, there were times when you walked in I felt the weight of expectation on your shoulders, as well as the desperation to succeed. The mood did lift after Switzerland – the post-match celebrations with the fans perhaps went some way in reassuring you there was still belief in you and your plan, but it was clearly too little, too late.
“What happens on Sunday will define me to others but not to myself,” was your message in our final sit-down interview – and it was clear now, you already knew that you’d gone as far as you could as England manager. I don’t believe there is anyone that would have wanted to lift that trophy more on Sunday, or in 2018, 2021 or 2022. And I don’t believe there is anyone who dealt with you regularly, as we did, that didn’t want you to end with that either.
So thank you Gareth, for giving this reporter, who grew up watching England teams rarely go deep into tournaments, the opportunity to have a front-row seat when they did. And when they do eventually lift that trophy, I hope you still get satisfaction in knowing that you have laid the foundations for that success.
But for now, as you also said to me in an interview in Germany – whatever happened out there, your dog will still greet you the same way regardless when you walk back through the door. So enjoy those dog walks Gareth, you’ve earned them.
Kelly.