The Libero - Scottish football is in a sorry state

Published: 18 Nov 2009 - 08:28:25

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Scotland's dismal defeat to a Wales team consisting mostly of youngsters barely old enough to remember the last time Scotland qualified for a major tournament proved to be the final nail in George Burley's coffin.

Not even the now former Scotland boss himself can have been surprised to lose his job; his record in charge of the national team simply was not good enough.

- What went wrong: Scotland's decade of misery
- Scotland sack Burley

Just three wins in 14 attempts tells a story that needs no embellishment. Burley had lost the respect of his players - look no further than the sorry Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor episode earlier this year for proof - and once that happens, it is extremely difficult for a manager to win it back.

Burley may never have even had it in the first place. Little matter now. By Saturday's game in Cardiff, he was a dead man walking who commanded little influence over any of his players. And that showed in their performance on the pitch. Clearly it was time for a change.

Had he stayed, Burley would have struggled to get out of the rut he and his side found themselves in.

The squad were playing in a losing side for a losing manager and once that mindset has set in, it is difficult to break out. Sometimes it is just better to cut losses, get rid of the dead wood and start over.Of course, blame for Scotland's abysmal form cannot be solely apportioned to Burley.

That is not to say he can be cast as an entirely unfortunate and innocent victim of circumstance, but it is fair to say that other factors contributed to his downfall.

For a start, his players did not help his cause too much. Darren Fletcher, probably Scotland's finest player at the moment - read into that what you will - has admitted as much.

But what Fletcher declined to point out is that those players available to Burley simply were not good enough at that level.That may have something to do with inflated expectations of a nation with a rich footballing tradition, but why can't Scotland fans demand better?

This is, after all, the country that gave the world the likes of Denis Law, Kenny Dalglish, Jim Baxter, Billy Bremner, Dave Mackay and Jimmy Johnstone.

The truth is that Scottish football is in poor health from the grass roots all the way up to the national side.

The pool that once produced such talented players as Law et al has all but dried up. That is something Burley cannot be blamed for.

It's just that the buck stops with the coach of the national side. Whether that is right or wrong, the Scottish FA now find themselves looking for someone who can lift the national side out of a downward spiral and prepare them for a qualification campaign for Euro 2012.

Candidates have been sprouting forth from every angle with pretty much anyone who ticks the relevant boxes - manager, Scottish, experienced - apparently in the running.

Perhaps it says something about Burley's efforts that so many others out there are thought to be able to do a better job?

But whoever eventually takes over will need more help than Burley ever received. Yes, it was time he was moved on and Scotland are likely to benefit from his dismissal - frankly his successor cannot do any worse - but Scottish football will continue to underachieve as long as that production line is not functioning.

That is an issue for the SFA to tackle with gusto. And only once they do will qualifying for major tournaments become a realistic
goal for Scotland to aim for.

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