Gareth Southgate, real fans and England's conscious recoupling

Gareth Southgate's tenure as England boss has been an unmitigated success; he has exceeded expectations. Yet, his greatest achievement of his tenure often goes overlooked.

For, while reaching the semi-finals of both the World Cup and the Nations League are rightly lauded, Southgate's greatest success has been the reconnection between the team and its fans.

Not since 1996, when England made the semi-final of the Euros on home soil, has there been such harmony between fan and team. It is poetic that Southgate, the man who missed the penalty that saw England knocked out by Germany, has returned fan and team to the sense of togetherness that governed 23 years ago.

Togetherness - any form of togetherness - in a country riddled by estrangement, should be cherished. However, its importance on a sporting level can also be overlooked.

It is that togetherness allows for a sense of freedom on the pitch. It takes away a level of pressure on the players.

One must only look at the diverging fortunes of Arsenal and Liverpool to see that a connection between team and fan base can give or take away a psychological edge. There is no exact science to it but the palliative atmosphere in which Liverpool operate in has undoubtedly enhanced the performance level of an already hugely talented team. And the reverse can be said of Arsenal: the toxic atmosphere in which they operate in - particularly outside the stadium - will undoubtedly have a detrimental impact on a side in transition. Liverpool are a clearly superior team than Arsenal but the negative sphere within which the Gunners operate in compounds their issues.

The same theory can be applied to England. They were a team in transition upon Southgate's appointment. Their performances at the World Cup were largely functional rather than inspiring or exhilarating. Yet, a renewed respect between team and fan base helped Southgate's fairly modest team, in terms of talent, make a first World Cup semi-final since Bobby Robson's team in 1990. There have been far superior iterations of England who have failed to make it past the group stage of major tournaments.

Of course, there are many other factors that saw England make it that far but now play without fear. No longer are errors met with groans or insults - professional footballers, like the rest of us are fallible - but rather encouragement.

And that lack of fear has allowed Southgate's side to grow, to improve and to head into the Nations League as one of the favourites alongside Portugal.

Much has - and after another night of shame on Porto on Wednesday - will be said about England fans. However, it is the actual fans, those who don't sing about things they evidently know little about or who don't lob bottles at riot police, who have played a significant part in England's potential re-emergence as a force to be reckoned with. And those real fans, who support their team, who behave impeccably when guest in other countries should rightly be commended.

However, it is Southgate who has been the facilitator of this renewed bond and that, regardless of what happens in the Nations League, will be the greatest achievement of his early tenure. For real fans it is enjoyable to follow England again and for the players it looks increasingly enjoyable to represent their country again.