There’s a new man in the England national team dugout, as Lee Carsley takes the reins on an interim basis. The Three Lions travel over the Irish Sea to face the Republic of Ireland at the Aviva Stadium, the Three Lions’ first fixture since their defeat in the European Championship final to Spain.
Ahead of Lee Carsley’s first game in charge, we look at how the last five England managers got on in their opening fixture with the national team.
Remembering the first game in charge for each of the last five England managers
Gareth Southgate – England 2-0 Malta, 8th October, 2016
Gareth Southgate’s tenure was the most successful since Sir Alf Ramsey, the only coach to have won silverware after masterminding England to World Cup success in 1966.
But the waistcoat enthusiast’s journey started humbly with a routine victory against Malta at Wembley, as goals from Daniel Sturridge and Dele Alli ensured the former England defender’s start was untroubled.
Gareth Southgate’s first game in charge of the #ThreeLions was against Malta back in 2016 👊pic.twitter.com/mWzu1b0DZ7
— England (@England) June 15, 2023
Following the untimely dismissal of Sam Allardyce (more on him later), the England u-21 boss was flung into the mix to deputise, as a permanent successor was sought.
However, Southgate won all of his four games in temporary charge and with no other outstanding candidate, was handed the position permanently.
Two European Championship finals and a World Cup semi-final later, Southgate will always remain fondly in the hearts of the English public.
Southgate and Carsley draw a lot of similarities. Both were u-21 managers tasked with taking the senior side on a caretaker basis. Could we see Carsley’s appointment be made permanent?
Read – Chelsea defender ‘excited’ to reunite with Carsley
Sam Allardyce – Slovakia 0-1 England, 3rd September 2016
‘Big Sam’ is the only manager in England’s history to have a 100% record. That’s because his first game in charge of his country was also his last.
A stoppage-time goal from Adam Lallana earned Allardyce a dream start to life in charge of the Three Lions against Slovakia, but that dream soon turned into a nightmare.
Lallana strikes late! 🙌#OnThisDay in 2016, @officialAL20 scored the winner in a 1-0 #ThreeLions win over Slovakia.pic.twitter.com/FUU9mGDZei
— England (@England) September 4, 2024
It transpired that the Telegraph had performed an undercover operation on the former Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United manager, in which Allardyce was alleged to have offered advice on how to circumvent the FA’s rules on third party ownership.
Despite his lawyers communicating that their client disputed the allegations, the FA were left with no choice but to part ways with the enigmatic personality.
Allardyce promised to succeed where others couldn’t. Perhaps he should have also promised to keep on the straight and narrow.
Read – Carsley ‘really excited’ by uncapped selections
Roy Hodgson – Norway 0-1 England, 26th May 2012
Roy Hodgson’s arrival was perceived as rather underwhelming, but he too got off to a triumphant beginning with a slender 1-0 win over Norway in Oslo.
Ashley Young’s early strike ended up being the difference in the Norwegian capital and in the process, a a bit of history was made, with the result being England’s first win over Norway in 32 years.
That friendly was part of preparations for Euro 2012, a competition Hodgson’s side exited in the quarter-finals. England, again, ended on the wrong side of a shootout defeat as Andrea Pirlo’s Panenka penalty punished.
After another disappointing showing at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Hodgson’s days were already numbered, but no one could prepare for the humiliation that would follow.
He bowed out on disastrous terms, with England’s Euro 2016 capitulation to Iceland regarded among the most embarrassing results in Three Lions history.
Read – Carsley names four uncapped players in first squad
Stuart Pearce – England 2-3 Netherlands, 25th February 2012
‘Psycho’ found himself suited and booted, guiding his nation out under the Wembley arch, albeit for one game.
After Fabio Capello waved ‘Arrivederci’, Pearce stepped up as caretaker manager to oversee England’s friendly against the Netherlands, but his brief time in charge wasn’t a successful one.
Arjen Robben and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar each scored to put the Dutch two-nil ahead early in the second half to pile the pressure on Pearce.
England rallied in the closing stages with Gary Cahill netting with five minutes to go and Ashley Young equalising in the first minute of normal time.
However, Robben thwarted any chance of England completing a famous comeback, as he magnificently curled the ball beyond the reach of Joe Hart to condemn Pearce to defeat in his solitary outing at the helm.
Harry Redknapp was the overwhelming favourite to fill the vacancy, but Pearce treated his role as if he was destined for the contract.
The former defender, who was capped 78 times for his country, initiated a series of meetings with Premier League clubs, discussing the form and fitness of players who were projected to be involved in the upcoming European Championship in Poland and Ukraine. At least ‘Psycho’s’ heart was in the right place.
Read – Five spicy fixtures you must watch this weekend
Fabio Capello – Andorra 0-2 England, 6th September 2008
There was a buzz of excitement when Capello was announced as the newest saviour of the England national team, with the Italian renown as a serial winner with seven league titles and a Champions League on his résumé.
His first game struggled to inspire the imagination, however, as England unconvincingly beat international minnows Andorra 2-0.
At the break, Capello’s players were met by a chorus of boos, as they walked off the pitch in Barcelona having failed to break down a team ranked 186th in the world.
Joe Cole entered the fray at half-time and immediately changed his country’s fortunes with a quick-fire brace to decimate the deadlock.
The rest of the game was played out with relative ease but the remainder of Capello’s spell in charge would be anything but easy.
The Three Lions crashed out of the 2010 World Cup to Germany, a game which included Frank Lampard’s infamous ghost goal.
The Italian resigned just four months before Euro 2012, due to the FA stripping John Terry of the England captaincy without consulting him first. The controversial Capello commanded control, and the minute he sensed he had lost an inch of it, he jumped ship.
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See more – England new boy backs Carsley for success
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