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"It's hard to say that but it's the truth" – Arsenal legend Tony Adams urges England to sack 'good loser' Gareth Southgate after FIFA World Cup exit

Arsenal legend Tony Adams has urged England to replace Gareth Southgate with a more experienced manager following their disheartening exit from the ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Southgate, who was named the Three Lions' boss in 2016, failed to guide England to a second straight FIFA World Cup semi-final in the Middle East. His team fell to a 2-1 defeat against France in the last-eight stage at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor on Saturday (10 December).

Aurelien Tchouameni and Olivier Giroud pitched in with a goal apiece in each half for Les Bleus while Harry Kane netted from the penalty spot nine minutes after the break. Kane also garnered headlines after missing a crucial spot-kick in the final stages of the contest.

A valiant effort and performance, @England 🦁👏 https://t.co/qghsuyHhKY

In his column for The Sun, Adams revealed his frustration on witnessing England crash out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He wrote:

"I'm fed up with us being plucky losers. After we lost to France all the talk was: 'Well done England, jolly good defeat, keep your heads high.' I can't stand that. If I'd been one of those players, I'd be in 'don’t talk to me' mode for about two years. I wouldn't want anyone telling me that I'd done well."

Sharing his thoughts on the Three Lions' exit, Adams added:

"We've missed another fantastic opportunity and it's not a question of effort. We gave absolutely everything. But our 'good effort lads, better luck next time' attitude bloody annoys me. I'm such a bad loser, I can't take it. This is the mentality we have to change. They're all nice people in the England camp."

Adams asserted that Southgate has to be replaced with someone who has a track record of lifting trophies. He concluded:

"But they need an experienced, serial winner around the place. Gareth doesn't lack courage, he has tremendous courage. But he's a good loser. It's hard to say that but it's the truth."
"They need an experienced head who's won stuff at the highest level for their clubs who can have a word in some ears about what you need to do to get over that line which we don't seem able to cross."
Gareth Southgate: “These tournaments take a lot out of you and I need a bit of time to reflect. I think that's the right thing to do”. 🚨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 #Qatar2022

“It needs a bit of time to make sure everybody makes the right decision”, he added on his future. https://t.co/AOcgck1ToT

Richard Keys names candidate for England job after 2022 FIFA World Cup exit

Speaking on beIN SPORTS, TV presenter Richard Keys said that England should return to the days of appointing foreign managers following their 2022 FIFA World Cup elimination. He elaborated:

"I would have as broad a field as I possibly could and I would once again be looking in a different direction. Our domestic league is dominated by foreign coaches. I think I would once again be thinking perhaps it's time now to go back to that formula."

When asked by fellow presenter Andy Gray for a name, Keys replied:

"What's Arsene Wenger doing? 18 months, I mean why not."

Wenger, who helped Arsenal lift 17 trophies during his 22-year-long stint, is currently serving as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development.

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