Source: Team_Talk
Collins interested in SFA role
John Collins would be interested in becoming national performance director at the Scottish Football Association.[LNB] The role is a key recommendation made in the first part of former First Minister Henry McLeish's Scottish Football Review, commissioned by the SFA in a bid to rejuvenate the game in Scotland.[LNB]The performance director will oversee talent development and former Hibernian manager Collins, speaking on Thursday at Toryglen, Glasgow, where he was launching a mentoring initiative for young players, said: "If they (SFA) wanted to talk to me, I would be more than happy to talk to them about that role.[LNB]"I'm not pitching for any job or chasing for any job, I'm quite happy at the moment working in the media.[LNB]"But if they wanted to talk to me, I would be glad to talk to them."[LNB]Collins has strong views as to why Scotland have not qualified for the finals of a major tournament since the 1998 World Cup in France, where he scored a penalty in the 2-1 opening-game defeat by Brazil.[LNB]"We have not been at a World Cup for 12 years and the reason is we are not good enough, it's as simple as that," he said.[LNB]"Technically we have fallen behind other nations and we have to look at solving the problems.[LNB]"It starts at grass-roots level, with kids at seven, eight, nine and 10, and it's got to be all about skill, to be able to deal with the ball.[LNB]"It's not about who is big and strong, who can play at centre-half, who can kick it the furthest, we have to get rid of that.[LNB]"We have to coach the coaches, to make sure the coaches are transmitting the proper messages to the kids.[LNB]"Pass and move, treat the ball with care and attention, don't give it away easily and then you will start developing technically-gifted players.[LNB]"It sounds simplistic - it is simplistic.[LNB]"The SFA are working on it, there's no doubt about that, but they have to work harder.[LNB]"There have to be rules and regulations put in place.[LNB]"If a coach is coaching a youth team and he is not coaching them properly, not transmitting the right messages, then the coach has got to be removed because he is doing more damage than good."