By John Cross England manager Gareth Southgate launched a passionate defence of the St George’s flag after the shirt row. But Southgate says the new “quirky” design should not even be recognised as the traditional English flag if it is not the simple white with a red cross. The Football Association have issued a statement defending the new Nike shirt, insisting the St George’s flag “unifies and inspires” supporters. But the FA say the purple and blue flag is a nod to the training kit worn by the 1966 World Cup heroes and also stressed that Umbro used different colours in previous kits. Southga…