Gary Lineker doubles down on 's***' England claim despite public backlash

Gary Lineker didn't clasp backmost erstwhile helium criticised England past summertime and, months on, helium has stuck by those scathing remarks with a bold assertion astir Gareth Southgate's reign

Gary Lineker has stood by his comments past summertime wherever helium called England "s***".

The BBC anchor was successful Germany to hosted the corporation's sum of the Euros and had to beryllium done immoderate mediocre performances from the Three Lions. They drew 2 of their 3 radical games, scoring conscionable doubly contempt the attacking endowment they had astatine their disposal.

It was aft the 1-1 with Denmark that Lineker was peculiarly critical. England had surrendered a 1-0 pb and were holding connected towards the extremity of the contest. On his ain The Rest is Football podcast, helium said: “I can’t ideate anybody that is English that would person enjoyed England’s performance. Because it was lethargic. It was dour. I mean, you tin deliberation of each sorts of words and expletives, if you like, but it was ***-.”

It resulted successful England's skipper Harry Kane taking a swipe backmost astatine Lineker and co-host Alan Shearer implicit their criticism, but he's travel retired again and reinforced the level of his criticism.

He told The Sunday Times: “If I’d said the connection ‘poor’ it wouldn’t person [been accurate] – and it was s***. I mean, radical get hung up implicit a curse word. It’s conscionable 4 letters successful a antithetic bid to different words. Like ‘this’.

“But, yeah, I didn’t consciousness thing astatine the time. I’d conscionable said immoderate I thought. I mean, God we were atrocious successful those aboriginal games. [On a podcast] you can’t pretend. You can’t say, ‘Oh, really they weren’t that bad’. You’ve conscionable got to beryllium honorable – and we bash it successful a just way. I met galore of the players subsequently and they each perfectly agreed. Hahaha.”

England, contempt consistently underperforming, would marque the last successful Berlin. That was contempt going a extremity down successful each 3 of their knockout games en route, earlier yet losing retired to Spain. Gareth Southgate's competitory grounds was stellar and helium added different last to his CV, but Lineker maintained each was not good with his reign coming to an end.

He added: “I haven’t seen Gareth since, but Gareth was superb for England. He took america to 2 finals, a semi and a 4th successful 4 tournaments. Admittedly, by the end, we’ve got an unthinkable plethora of talent. But, you know, Gareth’s a antiaircraft coach. There’s thing incorrect with that.

“I conscionable deliberation the squad astir apt outgrew him successful the end. They didn’t rather scope their implicit potential, but they were inactive young. But Gareth’s been astonishing and much important is however helium reconnected the nationalist squad with the people. That’s truly important. We were successful implicit turmoil erstwhile helium took over. A mess. But determination was thing incorrect successful the summer. I couldn’t recognize what it was myself.”

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