Having defended Henderson, Southgate now at pains to defend Maguire stating that he has never known such abuse being shown to one of their own players by England supporters. I certainly don't condone some of the nasty vitriol but ffs, playing him last night -especially given his lack of game time-was surely not only a very poor management decision by Southgate but also setting Maguire up for a fall which he subsequently took with his own goal.

Maguire is not a bad player but he isn't a great one either and whilst I certainly have some sympathy for him for the abuse he has received over recent years, he is a (very well paid) football player at the end of the day and fans have every right to criticise him if his poor performances are poor just as they have a right to criticise the manager for selecting him.

Lots of talk in the press at the moment about a new "golden generation" of England footballers and fears that Southgate still being at the helm could squander this opportunity. Personally, I think Southgate has done a decent job in the past but agree with many who view him as too cautious and too loyal to certain players regardless of performance and that he now needs to be replaced.

As for the "golden generation", it's true that there is far more quality in the current squad than we have had for a long while but IMHO it is only in our attacking options that we have genuine world class players, less so elsewhere. That said, teamwork, attitude and strategy are the things needed to win tournaments as much as individual ability and not convinced Southgate is the best person to deliver these.