It’s no coincidence that, in the right light, the hero of my new novel, Winter Wishes at Roseford Reloved looks a lot like England men’s football manager Gareth Southgate. For ages, I’ve wanted to write a novel that puts a man like Gareth at the centre of it, and Roseford Reloved gave me the perfect opportunity.
For those who might be less well-versed in Gareth’s pedigree as inspiration for a romantic lead, here’s a bit of a crash course. Up until 2018, Gareth Southgate was best known as the guy who missed the penalty in the Euro 96 semi-final against Germany. I remember it vividly. I remember seeing the devastation on Southgate’s face, and the way that, for years afterwards, all anyone ever said when they talked about him was yet another reference to that infamous, tragic saved goal. I mean, Pizza Hut even made an advert about it!
In the intervening years, not being a football fan, I didn’t follow his career closely, but in 2018, when he took charge of the England men’s football team, it all came back. There he was, two decades later, in charge of a team of vibrantly talented young men, with the kind of calm authority that marked him out as a leader. Not for him the screams, shouts and histrionics of Premier League managers: in his total calm, his gentle yet firm presence (and his frankly rather wonderful waistcoats!), he was ushering in a new era for international football. And I was smitten. Here was someone who was capable of uniting a team under a single identity: back in the day, stories abounded about the Man Utd and Chelsea players sitting at separate dining tables during England camps. Not anymore. And this was down to Gareth.
So, when it came to writing a novel, I thought who better to put at the centre of it as a romantic lead? For a heady time, Gareth Southgate captured the imaginations of not just dyed-in-the-wool football fans, but people like me who, not bound by the ties of team loyalty, started to become fascinated with the England team and its manager. And over the past few years, it’s been a pleasure to watch them mature under his stewardship and take on some of the best teams in the world. Yes, there have been highs and lows, but as any England fan knows, that kind of goes with the territory!
While my male protagonist, Will Sutherland, faces his own fictional trials and tribulations, and the “football” angle in Roseford Reloved is a light touch, having a figure like Gareth Southgate in mind when I was writing it gave me an anchor and acted as inspiration. Will is not Gareth, of course, but if Joseph Fiennes can play him on the West End stage, perhaps I can admit to also having been inspired by someone who has the presence and passion to bring someone who knows very little about “The Beautiful Game” into the fold.