Nottingham Forest hero Stuart Pearce has revealed he sent a text message to Gareth Southgate after England were knocked out of the World Cup by France.
Reds favourite Pearce, who played for the club from 1985 until 1997 and was manager from 2014 to 2015, contacted Southgate on Sunday morning to express his pride in the Three Lions.
Pearce earned 78 caps for England and spoke of how proud he was to watch the current squad. Speaking on talkSPORT, Pearce was full of praise for Southgate and gave his thoughts on the Three Lions boss' future.
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"I dropped him a text this morning, just saying how proud I am of him and the squad. To be honest with you, I hope he stays in post and drives this team forward.
"I was so proud and have been. The last tournament, as well at Wembley when they were in the final there, and in Russia [for the 2018 World Cup], I've been so proud of the players and what they're achieving, what they stand for, the togetherness and the pride in the shirt.
"I hope Gareth carries on in the role because he's the one who's knitted all this together. It would worry me if he did step away. But he'll think things out. He's very studied in what he does. I hope, fingers crossed, that he stays in post."
Pearce will also have sympathy for England skipper Harry Kane after the Tottenham man missed a second-half penalty against France.
Pearce was playing for Forest when he missed a spot kick in a shootout against West Germany in the semi-finals of Italia '90.
Do you agree with Stuart Pearce? Let us know in the comments section.
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