Southgate and Robson: From advice-giver to England contemporary

At the age of 37, Gareth Southgate was in a desperate situation as the manager of Middlesborough F.C. as his club were nearing the relegation zone in the Premier League and on a terrible run of form.

According to the 'Daily Mail', a chance encounter at the club's training ground shows just how far Southgate has come in the last 11 years.

Former Barcelona and Newcastle manager Sir Bobby Robson was passing through the club's training ground to talk to the Chairman, Steve Gibson, when Southgate stumbled upon the two in an office.

Robson was known as a gentleman of the game and on this occasion there was no exception, as he invited him in to the office to discuss the difficulties that Southgate and his team were facing at the time.

"Are you enjoying the training? You were unlucky against Spurs last weekend, weren't you?" the managerial legend said.

"'How's (Jonathan) Woodgate? I had him at Newcastle. What a player, what a defender. You've got to try and keep him fit though".

All of this will have come as a surprise for the inexperienced manager. After all he was talking to the man who in 1990 at the World Cup in Italy had taken the national side to the semi-finals, only to lose out on penalties to West Germany.

Now, just over a decade later, Southgate has managed to emulate the achievement of Sir Bobby and will hope that his young team will even be able to surpass the achievements of Robson's team, to reach the nation's first World Cup final in 52 years.

"'Good luck against Bolton on Saturday. You'll be alright Gareth" Robson said as the two men parted ways in 2007. Southgate has certainly done "alright", no matter what the result against Croatia.