Ex-Rangers star Joey Barton blasts England boss Gareth Southgate as he delivers brutal “Pizza Hut” World Cup put down

JOEY BARTON has never been a man to to shy away from delivering a brutal opinion.

And the former Rangers and England midfielder has pulled no punches as far as Gareth Southgate is concerned.

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Southgate is pondering his future after England’s World Cup exitCredit: Getty

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Barton has blasted Southgate’s managerial record with EnglandCredit: Getty

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Barton called out Southgate’s appearance in an old Pizza Hut TV advertCredit: PIZZA HUT

England’s World Cup campaign was brought to an end by reigning champions France on Saturday evening.

Olivier Giroud’s historic winner saw the French secure a 2-1 win – aided by Harry Kane ballooning a late penalty kick into the Doha sky.

In the wake of the quarter-final clash, there’s been fierce debate about how England’s performance in Qatar should be viewed.

And with that, if boss Gareth Southgate deserves to remain in post.

The 52-year old is contracted until the conclusion of Euro 2024.

He led England to the World Cup semi-finals in 2018, the Euro 2020 final and now the quarters in Qatar.

Many pundits, however, think there’s still room for more and you can count ex-England cap Barton as one of those.

Barton, capped once for his country, has unleashed a blistering attack on Southgate on social media – demanding that he’s sacked from his post.

The former Gers, Manchester City and QPR man blasted: “Can’t believe Southgate hasn’t resigned yet.

“That’s two World Cups and a home European Championship we could/should have won.

“Stop rewarding failure. Got to go. Time to hire somebody who can win.

“Pizza Hut advert years ago. Enough said.”

Fans who can recall a couple of decades ago might remember Southgate’s infamous appearance in an advert for the popular pizza restaurant chain.

In the advert, Southgate – wearing a paper bag over his head – can be seen poking fun at his own penalty miss in the shoot-out against Germany at Euro 96 that ultimately saw England eliminated from the competition.

It’s something that has clearly wound Barton up over the years and he hasn’t been shy in mentioning it.

Barton, who is the current Bristol Rovers manager, also said: “When he put pizza box on his head after missing the penalty, he was done with.

“No self respecting man would ever do that.”

He even tweeted about it during his playing days, aiming a sly dig at Southgate as he watched England face Italy in a penalty shoot-out at Euro 2012.

He said on that occasion: “The chance to be a hero for a week or the star of a pizza hut advert. Destiny awaits.”

Southgate is understood to be considering his future and is expected to take time to decide what he wants to do.

Meanwhile, cheeky Scotland fans weren’t about to let Harry Kane get away with his penalty without poking a bit of fun at it.

An edited clip went viral, showing Kane’s penalty soaring into the air before striking Still Game characters Jack and Victor, sitting on a park bench.

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