Lee Carsley’s England takes on Ireland tonight in his first game in charge. He took over from Gareth Southgate following the European Championships this summer in a caretaker role. He was undeniably England’s best manager for some time as he led the Three Lions to two Euro finals, a World Cup semi final and a World Cup quarter final. He lost his last game in charge, as England were defeated by Spain in the final of Euro 2024, but how did he, and the four previous England managers, do in their first game in the hot seat?

Gareth Southgate

It was nearly eight years ago when Gareth Southgate was appointed as England manager. It was originally a temporary role, but given some strong performances on the pitch, it was decided that he would be given a four year contract by the FA. His first game in charge saw England face Malta in the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers. Goals from the now retired Daniel Sturridge and Everton midfielder Dele Alli were enough to beat the Mediterranean side.

Dele was one of Southgate’s favourite players at the start of his tenure, while Sturridge only played four times under the former Middlesbrough boss. The World Cup qualifying campaign was rather unremarkable for England, but the actual tournament itself secured Southgate as one of the best England managers since the turn of the century.

Sam Allardyce

Southgate took over from Sam Allardyce who is currently the shortest serving permanent England manager in history, having taken charge of just one game. The match in question took place on the 4th September 2016 against Slovakia in the World Cup qualifiers.

The teams were separated by a late winner, scored by Adam Lallana. It was the midfielder’s first goal for England, three years after making his debut. Lallana went on to score in his next two appearances for the national team, but his Premier League game time soon dried up and his involvement with the national team ended in 2018.

Roy Hodgson

Roy Hodgson took charge of England for three major tournaments, Euro 2012, 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016. His first game was a friendly away against Norway in which the Three Lions won 1-0 thanks to a goal by Ashley Young. Young is one of the two players in Hodgson’s starting XI that is still playing. Andy Carroll is the other.

Hodgson’s time in charge is not remembered fondly by most England fans, as both the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016 were terrible from an English perspective, and Euro 2012 wasn’t great either. The result of his first game was described as ‘surprising’ by the media at the time, which shows how far Gareth Southgate has brought the Three Lions in recent years.

Stuart Pearce

The second manager on the list to take charge of just one England game, Stuart Pearce was put in temporary charge following Fabio Capello’s resignation in February 2012. His only game in charge was a 3-2 defeat to the Netherlands at Wembley on the 29th February.

Goals from Arjen Robben and Klaas Jan Huntelaar gave the visitors the lead in the friendly, before two late goals from Gary Cahill and Ashley Young gave home fans a false sense of hope. Robben scored the winner in injury time to give Pearce a 100% losing record as England boss.

Fabio Capello

Fabio Capello was hailed as a superstar when he became England manager in 2007 having just won La Liga with Real Madrid, but when he left five years later, it was evident that he was long past his best. His first game in charge was a 2-1 win over Switzerland in a friendly.

Jermaine Jenas and Shaun Wright-Phillips scored the goals for England, but the performance was largely underwhelming from the hosts. They gave the ball away needlessly in midfield, and the defensive style of play had many fans frustrated. They would continue to be frustrated with Capello’s tactics for another five years.