Ex- England coach Sir Gareth Southgate has expressed he is "worried about unity" during an continuing discussion about displaying the St George's flag.
Over the past few months, a increasing number of St George's and union jack flags have been seen across England.
Although some people consider the flag display as nationalistic, others consider it intimidating.
Southgate, who spent eight years in charge of the England team, stepped down as coach following a Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain.
Though he didn't secure silverware with England, he is broadly acknowledged for bringing together the nation in backing of the national side and has now written a book called Dear England: Lessons in Leadership.
The Flag Discussion
In a recent television appearance, presenter Jon Kay questioned Southgate for his view on the flag discussion, saying: "Certain individuals are proud of them. Others are doubting the display of them in certain circumstances. What do you think of that flag discussion in the framework of what you believe about national pride?"
Southgate responded: "I'm concerned about unity. I've seen what we did with the team [England] to bring together every community."
"I believe there's greater that unites us all than divides us. We should try and concentrate more on what brings us together than what separates us."
Current Events and Reactions
Ex- England defender and Salford City part-owner Gary Neville recently criticised the "negative" display of the St George's flag and said he had instructed the taking down of a flag from a construction site that he has financial interest in.
Salford City's League Two fixture against Oldham Athletic was postponed later that week when two field intruders attempted to put a St George's flag inside the center of the field at the Peninsula Stadium.
Extremist group Britain First took credit for the incident, saying they "teamed up with Salford nationalists" to demonstrate against the "disloyalty of Gary Neville."
Southgate's Perspective on Togetherness
"At any time there will constantly be some division under the surface," said Southgate.
"Living is financially difficult for a lot of people so I understand why people are disaffected."
"The pandemic was a good example where people did shopping for their neighbours, they rallied round one another, that's what British spirit is all about."
Southgate's Personal Journey
Southgate, who was appointed England manager in November 2016 following an temporary period, earned 57 caps for the Three Lions during his playing career.
The nearest the player got to winning with the England team as a player was in 1996, when he missed a penalty in a semi-final shootout defeat to Germany at Wembley.
Questioned about the significance of not succeeding, Southgate said: "It's one of the certainties of life that things are going to go wrong for you. What I discovered from 1996 is that I was unsuccessful to perform a technique when it mattered and that I had to be better prepared."
"As I went to bed that evening I recall thinking: 'I don't know how I'll possibly recover from this.'"
"The whole country was on this carnival of football in 1996 and heading to the final, and I was responsible for us going out."
"However you step outside the house the next day and slowly get over it. People didn't hesitate of reminding me about it when I played at rival grounds but there's always a path past these situations and you have to discover that resilience to overcome it."
