In any profession, the chances of someone having a pop at their manager while still under his or her command are slim and none.
So when England players form an orderly Qatari queue to laud Gareth Southgate, it is hardly a seismic surprise. What else are they going to say? He can make or break his international career and all that goes with it.
But when the microphones and cameras are off, these England footballers say exactly the same thing as they do in public. Playing for Southgate, training under Southgate, being in camp with Southgate, is an absolute pleasure. Hard work, thorough, but a pleasure.
