Croatia v Scotland: Gord almighty

It was a result predicted only by the deluded and Scottish Sun sage Kenny Millar.

Gordon Strachan conceded at full time that a win for Croatia was 90 percent certain.

Somehow Scotland made the most of their ten percent chance.

Percentages figured highly. It was, said captain James Morrison, a victory earned by players giving 110 percent to the cause.

Like Morrison I'm not a mathematician, but even I can see that our 110 trumps their 90 percent.

He'd wrapped a sound point in the cliche though. During the slump of recent years we've fielded teams full of hard workers but too often under George Burley and Craig Levein individual endeavour failed to become a cohesive collective effort.

Not last night. A team effort and a team win.

A meaningless win? Our qualifying race has already been run, last night was typically Scottish: glory when there's nothing left to play for.

Not quite. It certainly wasn't a meaningless game, Robert Snodgrass rammed a hole in Croatia's attempt to win automatic qualification.

This wasn't Scotland taking three points from a dead rubber.

It also gave an inexperienced squad a taste of beating a team ranked above them in the qualifying draw. The first time we've pulled that off since the win over Ukraine in 2007.

Only Alan Hutton and Shaun Maloney from last night's team featured in that 3-1 win at Hampden, four managers and almost six years ago.

When failing in the tougher games is all you know it becomes a hard habit to break.

A tangible benefit from last night is remaining in the group of fourth ranked nations for the next round of qualifiers - an anaemic measure of success but an achievement that prevents a hard task becoming even more difficult.

But the real meaning of the win in Zagreb might only become evident over time.

Strachan has looked frustrated since taking over as manager. Under Levein Scotland were going backwards, the new manager needed a platform to halt the decline.

What he got were limp performances from ever changing squads. The run up to the Croatian game was similarly disrupted by call offs but it also featured a fortnight free from domestic football, almost two weeks for the coaching staff and a young squad to figure out how to get the best from each other.

And if, as I mentioned before the game, Strachan's previous conservatism in selection attracted criticism he showed more flexibility here.

It's true that many changes were forced on him. But he appeared to embrace them and passed that adaptability on to his players.

He spoke last night of giving Russell Martin four weeks notice of his switch to the centre of defence. Morrison was asked to not only take on the responsibility of captain but also take on more of the defensive burden in midfield than he is used to.

Leigh Griffiths was fairly peripheral in attack but ceaseless in his effort, backing Strachan's decision not to send a late SOS to Canada for the experienced but rusty Kenny Miller.

Searching for his first win, Strachan wasn't risk averse. It's hard to imagine his immediate predecessors making the same choices or getting the same response from the players.

We should, of course, be wary of false dawns.

Strachan himself spoke of a performance that still leaves room for improvement. It's also true that Croatia stuttered when big chances came their way.

We remain second bottom of the group and we'll watch yet another tournament on the TV. There are still weaknesses and a lack of cover in certain areas.

What we might have seen is an evolution of the squad, players beginning to react to the demands of a new manager and that manager figuring out how to communicate his methods to a young squad, a squad full of players that will face our next qualification challenge.

Certainly Strachan has found his platform. He now has to build on it.

If we can have more days like this, of waking up to hangovers delivered by celebratory toasts instead of drowned sorrows, he'll be doing something right.

Scotland: Strachan SOS?

An unusual consensus has settled over Scottish football.

The disastrous start to the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign has made minds up: Craig Levein can't continue as Scotland manager.

A few dissenting voices remain.

Billy Dodds was one of them on Tuesday night. Using his BBC co-commentary gig to broadcast to the nation, Billy repeatedly told us that Levein was the "right man for the job, he's just not had the results."

That's not the strongest defence: "Aye, the doctor's a good bloke but his patients keep dying."

In moments of introspection even Levein might reflect that the game really is a bogey when Silly Bodds is the main witness for the defence.

Some others argue that changing the manager will change nothing. A limp reason that, conceding our crapness, accepting that we really should be bottom of a qualifying group.

I also believe that this squad is stronger than results suggest. Not world beaters. But better than two points from four games or three wins in 12 competitive matches. When that happens the buck stops in the dugout.

The SFA board will meet in the next few days to discuss what happens next.

Can we expect decisive action? Or a classic Hampden fudge.

I'd still lean towards the latter but it's difficult to see who Levein can call on for support, especially if there is any truth in rumours that the clubs might choose to use Scotland's plight to put pressure on SFA chief executive Stewart Regan.

Our next game is a friendly against Luxembourg in November, with Ladbrokes offering 13/8 that Levein will not be manager for that match.

It's 11/8 for him to not be manager by the first game of 2013, a February friendly with Estonia.

I would still expect him to just about survive through this weekend, limp past Luxembourg before being deposed early in the New Year.

That would give the new manager the Estonian game to prepare for the next round of - now sadly redundant - qualifiers.

And who will the next manager be?

Two former managers are frequently mentioned. Both Walter Smith and Alex McLeish are available, know the job and enjoyed some success.

I'm not sure going back is a good idea in football although Smith has shown a willingness to do just that in the past.

McLeish (12/1) has already hinted at a willingness to consider a return. I'm always mindful of certain commitment issues he seems to have.

He will undoubtedly see a situation that he'd be confident of improving but would he be concerned more by rehabilitating Scotland or his own career?

Smith fits almost exactly the age and experience profile that Sir Alex Ferguson argues are the perfect fit for an international manager.

But the Tartan Army is unforgiving about the last time Smith jumped ship and I'm not sure he'd relish the challenge of being the figurehead of not just the national team but of the many changes that the SFA is currently attempting to put in place.

Owen Coyle (10/1) is available after a bruising time at Bolton. But Coyle must surely retain ambitions at club level and I can't see much that would push him to the Scotland job at this stage.

At 14/1 Joe Jordan would be an emotionally powerful choice but I don't think his record as a manager stands up to much scrutiny even if his involvement as a coach would surely make sense.

Ally McCoist is also priced at 14/1 for anyone who likes to chuck money down the toilet. Motherwell's Stuart McCall might be a bit miffed to be outside McCoist at 16/1.

Dougie Freedman would be an interesting choice at 12/1 but at the moment I'd think there is about as much chance of Scotland winning Euro 2016.

Which brings us to the current favourite.

At 3/1 Gordon Strachan leads the field.

There's no such thing as a unanimous choice in football but there seems to be a surge of popular opinion in favour of Strachan.

He's spoken before about how he sees the role as all encompassing, going beyond simply managing the international team. A decision would need to be made within the SFA about how to accommodate those demands, how Strachan's vision fits with the attempts at modernisation that are already in place.

Strachan will also have a personal decision to make. Is the life of the travelling pundit worth foregoing for the pressures of being Scotland manager?

There will be an emotional pull, the draw of a fresh challenge. But there are negatives to this job, stresses involved in carrying the weight of often unrealistic expectation.

It looks to me like he is the man for the job.

But will he decide that this is the job for Gordon Strachan?

All odds from Ladbrokes #gameon

Craig Levein: Here To Stay

That was that then.

A blessing, perhaps, that our agony wasn't prolonged. As Spain attempted to pass Scotland to death in Alicante, Czech Republic had already gone ahead in Lithuania.

When David Silva scored Spain's opener inside six minutes the game was up.

Not the agony of past failures when Scotland have teased us into believing before tripping over their own inadequacies at the final hurdle.

Our Euro 2012 hopes suffered a slow puncture and deflated over the course of the campaign.

Immediately, predictably, there were calls for the end of the Levein era. There have been similar calls since about the tenth minute of our opening draw in Lithuania.

The grass is always greener. Even if you don't have any idea who'd be prepared to mow the lawn for you.

The prosecution claims a damning charge sheet. It includes the lack of ambition so fully realised in inglorious technicolor during the horrors of the 4-6-0 formation in Prague and compounded by the stubborn refusal to shift from his 4-1-4-1 formation.

And where were our knights in shining armour in Spain? When he turned to his bench did Levein not regret the absence of Steven Fletcher, Ross McCormack and Garry O'Connor? For a variety of reasons they weren't there - although their international credentials as game changers against the world's best remain unproven.

Hindsight shows that our opening 0-0 draw in Lithuania set the tone for Scotland's failure. We had the best of that game and couldn't capitalise.

Does the blame for that lie with Levein? Or did he see a team uncomfortable in itself, struggling for confidence? If it's the latter then his ultra-conservatism away to the Czechs - as misguided as it was - is easier to understand.

Liechtenstein at Hampden was an agonising embarrassment. But one we survived.

Against Spain at Hampden Scotland came back from 2-0 to draw level. And they did that using Levein's favoured formation. There was the proof that it can offer an attacking threat. We should have seen more of that against Lithuania and, crucially, against the Czechs at home.

Was that the manager's fault? Or was it - as it seemed to this observer at the time - players still not entirely confident disappearing into their collective shell when the chance was there to seize the game?

Your answers will depend on your view of Levein. There are plenty who will continue to be vociferous in their dislike of him.

And if he's guilty of a defensiveness on the pitch he's equally guilty of a prickly defensiveness off it.

The beard, that cap in the dugout in Liechtenstein, even the extra padding around the midriff, seem to be the physical manifestation of the barrier he has raised to guard against malign influences.

It can come across as an unfortunate mix of the dull and the chippy. But we can't kid ourselves that there are not members of the fourth estate who would glory in his demise. They tend to provide fewer answers than they do brickbats.

And the public image is at odds with the loyalty he seems to have inspired in most of the players at his disposal.

This is all probably a verbose waste of time. Levein is going nowhere. He's expressed a desire to stay on and he won't be sacked.

One of the positives of his tenure has been the shifting of attitudes at the SFA. George Peat is gone and little lamented. Levein has been building relationships with chief executive Stewart Regan and new performance director Mark Wotte.

That triumvirate is likely to place a premium on stability. Starting over with a new national coach won't appeal to the SFA. You can like that or you can lump it.

I'm teetering towards liking it.

This has been a strange campaign, made all the uglier by poor performances and mistakes from the manager.

But it's not been without moments of optimism. Scotland remain limited. They will appear limited for a long time. There's been both a lack of stability and lack of a strategy at the SFA. Spain's mesmerising superiority last night is just one result of negligence on the part of the guardian's of our game.

It will take time to put that right and Levein, if he really has learned from this campaign, can play his part.

The idea that he is scared of his own shadow is not borne out by a willingness to introduce new players.

Craig Mackail-Smith, Phil Bardsley and Barry Bannan from last night's starting XI have arrived. Charlie Adam has been reintroduced, David Goodwillie displayed a precocious confidence in scoring Scotland's penalty against Spain. There are others and there will be more.

That's a more ambitious selection policy than many of his predecessors have attempted and Levein seems to have pulled it off while keeping - largely - the morale and interest of the players intact. It's also given him good reason to claim this as a campaign spent in transition.

The team will continue to evolve but he seems now to have created his own nucleus. I suspect Steven Fletcher will soon return, others will take the step up and more still will fall by the wayside.

The majesty of Spain aside this was a poor group. That makes our failure to reach the play-offs - in itself no guarantee of progression - more galling.

It hasn't killed us though. And, with some green shoots appearing, it could yet have made us - and our manager - stronger.

The pain, of course, comes from the confirmation that another major championship will carry on without Scotland.

I was 18 when we opened the 1998 World Cup. That was the sixth time in my lifetime that Scotland had appeared at a majors final.

Those appearances brought their own excitement and their own exquisite agonies.

Too many people have yet to properly experience what that feels like. If this latest exit didn't carry the same trauma as others, the longing and wistful thoughts of what might have been will return next summer.

If nothing else Craig Levein knows exactly what we want from his next qualifying campaign.

Donate to the Scottish Football Blog Blogathon, 19 November 2011

The custodians and the bosses

I missed STV's Greatest Team last night I'm afraid, as I was busy waiting to see if Tiger Woods could keep his balls on the fairway... (no, not going to take that sentence any further.)

Anyway it was the turn of Gregory himself, John Gordon Sinclair, to host as the shortlist for the goalkeepers and managers was revealed.

Incidentally if you want to catch up with what JGS is doing these days can I point you in the direction of BBC Radio Scotland's comedy No Hard Feelings on the iPlayer.

I stumbled across it today and can honestly say it's the best way I've found this year of depressing yourself if you're worried about being a bit too happy.

If a country gets the national radio station deserves then there are times when Radio Scotland confirms Jock Tamson's bairns as a collection of brain dead zombies.

Right, state of the Scottish media rant over.

The goalkeepers chosen were Alan Rough, Jim Leighton, Andy Goram and Craig Gordon.

As I predicted that list makes uncomfortable reading for Hibs fans. In the 1980's and into the 1990's you could look at Easter Road and find a player involved in the Scotland squad between the sticks. Now you can find a succession of clowns buttering their gloves. Funny how things work out.

I am an Olympian bore when it comes to Rough, much maligned and much undervalued. Years of sterling service at Partick and Hibs were underpinned by a long and generally reliable Scotland career. Remember it was Rough who coped with the pressure of coming on against Wales in that fateful 1985 qualifier and that's always struck me as a far better indication of his ability, attitude to the game and reliability than our miserable Argentinian summer.

Goram and Leighton were different from each other but both outstanding. And Gordon is the only current player to make any of the shortlists which speaks volumes for his ability and the reliance we now have on his heroics.

The manager's list sees Willie Ormond and Jock Stein battling it out with Alex Ferguson and Walter Smith.

This kind of makes a mockery of "Scotland's" Greatest Team. Ferguson managed Scotland for 10 games following the death of Stein, including a World Cup campaign that saw us score one goal. Smith didn't even get to a major tournament.

Great managers, great records - and Smith did well with Scotland - but not great Scotland managers. Andy Roxburgh and Craig Brown, and I'd be the last to call them inspirational choices, both qualified for tournaments. That's got to be the critical judgement in the consideration of a national manager.

So not too happy with that and when I make choices before next week's final programme I'll not be picking Alex or Walter.

I'll post my final 11 and manager, based on the shortlist, next week.

Before that, time for some dreaming:

Will he, won't he?

When George Burley was finally relieved of his duties as Scotland boss I put together a list of the men I considered to be the runners and riders. I had this to say about Craig Levein:

Few would argue with this and we could expect to see Scotland adopting a revolutionary new approach based around organisation and cohesive tactics. But Levein is only 45 and master of all he surveys at Dundee United where the bare trophy cabinet points to what he considers to be unfinished business. Will the call of his nation appeal? I'd predict he'll quietly rule himself out in the weeks ahead.

In the intervening weeks Levein has surprised me by refusing to rule himself out. Indeed some might say he has actively courted the SFA. And now, apparently, the SFA are set to offer him the job.

He has made it clear that he wants an expanded remit. I would have thought that would scare the SFA but by going public with their approach they must have a certain confidence in the package they’ve put together. If there is any lingering animosity between him and head honcho Gordon Smith then Smith should be applauded for casting that aside and pursuing the man he believes to be the best candidate.

But Levein’s battles with the SFA have always been bigger than personalities. At times he seems to view with little more than contempt an archaic organisation that he clearly believes to be out of touch and clueless. So why sign up with them?

Maybe he thinks he can change them from the inside. If he can then all of Scottish football would applaud. But, you know, I’m sure Mrs Tiger Woods was comfortable that she’d be the one to change her man. Life doesn’t always work like that.

So there is an element of surprise in Levein taking things this far. But is he the outstanding candidate?

I was going to say no, if only because an attack on him would let me talk about his comedy whack on Hearts teammate Graham Hogg in a friendly against Raith Rovers. Overall, however, I would be happy with a Levein appointment. And if you can get a 12 match ban for attacking your own player in a friendly then you’ve clearly got a passion for football.

You would think from some of the press he’s received in the past few months that Levein was practicing alchemy at Tannadice. He’s not. He’s created a team that performs better than average in a weak league. It ain’t rocket science.

But he’s organised, can explain a game plan and have confidence that it will be carried out by players who respect him. They’re all traits that have been sadly lacking in the Burley era.

We don’t know what the recruitment process has entailed. Some might see this as slightly too quick, not leaving time for an assessment of all the contenders. On the other hand maybe Smith and his fellow Chuckle Brother, George Peat, are finally showing the decisiveness we’ve been crying out for.

So this has the potential to be a happy week for the national team. Except he’s still got to take the job and I don’t think that’s a forgone conclusion.

Dan's the man?

It seems that the SFA supremo Gordon Smith has cancelled a meeting with Dan Petrescu's agent to discuss the vacant Scotland manager's role.

The Unirea Urziceni manager's application was a surprise. As an ambitious young manager enjoying a first season in the Champion's League, the Scotland job would appear to be a less than glittering prize.

The SFA are, however, perfectly right to seek further information from the Romanian's agent Frances de Souza before moving the candidacy forward.

That Smith has now cancelled the meeting is also understandable given the de Souza's apparent leaking of the details. Such indiscretion does not fit in with Smith's preferred timescale or the cloak of privacy that remains the SFA's favoured modus operandi.

All that aside I can't quite get my head round Petrescu's initial interest. Other than fond memories of his trip to Ibrox this season I can't see any particular connection between him and Scotland. At 41 and with more successes than failures on his CV he is too young to be wanting to join the travelling circus of international managers who traverse the globe to fill odd positions.

Maybe his candidacy is genuine and Gordon Smith is right to want to investigate it further away from the glare of publicity. But I am sure that the SFA will also be considering the possibility that they are being used in Petrescu's and de Souza's long term game.

Sending his CV to Glasgow was Petrescu saying he wanted the Scotland job. His agent leaking the news was Petrescu doing his best John Inman impression and bellowing "I'm free" to clubs and countrys across Europe.

If that is the case then it is further evidence that our national job is not quite the attractive vacancy that we would like it to be.

Say What You Mean

It was a contrite and regretful Gordon Smith that broke the news of George Burley's departure. Or was it? Interpreting for the cynical:

The decision was taken after a meeting with the board of directors and, subsequently, the national coach. The board was in unanimous agreement.

The rest of them agreed with my decision. I then met George and told him to "get tae."

It should be stressed the decision was not a direct consequence of Saturday’s unacceptable 3-0 defeat to Wales but, rather, a realisation that the expectations of the supporters, the Scottish FA and George, himself, were not being met.

My God, we were bad on Saturday. There’s nothing like being gubbed by the Welsh reserves to get us shaking in our blazers. Still I only got really worried when the fans started booing me.

On a personal note, I would like to thank George for his contribution and, on behalf of the Scottish FA, I wish him all the best for the future.

On a personal note, I’ve been a stunning failure in this role. Thank you, George, for providing everyone with an even bigger numpty by way of distraction.

I should point out that the Scottish FA stands by its decision to give the national coach our full support despite failure to qualify for the World Cup play-offs. It would have been negligent not to have given George every opportunity to rebuild and revitalise the squad in light of the improved performances in the last two qualifiers against Macedonia and Holland. Unfortunately, the adverse results in the two subsequent friendlies against Japan and Wales provided confirmation the improvement could not be sustained.

Keeping George was the cheaper option so we kept our fingers crossed and said our prayers. Speaking of prayers, it was a miracle he managed to find a team that could beat Macedonia. As George Peat said to me then "if there’s even a slight chance you’ve got a miracle worker on a contract, you don’t sack him." Sadly he turned out to be more Brian than Messiah.

We now have four months until our next scheduled match, against Czech Republic, and will therefore utilise the intervening period to ensure we attract the best possible replacement to take Scotland forward.

Anybody not currently in employment who is happy to work for free should get in touch.

The Chance Of A Second Chance?

It did not take Chick Young long. In his obituary of George Burley's reign as national team boss the great oracle of our game points out that a new manager means a new chance for Kris Boyd, Allan McGregor and Barry Ferguson.

Fair enough. A new broom and new beginnings. No manager taking the job should have his hands tied.

Likewise the new man (if it is indeed it is a man: let's not reduce our options by ruling out half the population without serious consideration) should not be the subject of a press campaign to get anybody included in his squads.

Barry Ferguson is the past and we need to be looking at the future. He could have had a role as the team's elder statesman. But age did not bring maturity. The drinking perhaps should have been an internal issue. When it erupted in public, however, it all but sealed Burley's fate.

Was the captain contrite? No, like a spoilt schoolboy given a national stage he chose to act like a prat and offend the nation. That rightly ended his national career. Full stop.

Allan McGregor was, perhaps, misled by Ferguson. But Allan McGregor is not 10 years old and should have known better than to get involved in prolonged sequence of acting like a bloody idiot. Will any manager feel he can trust him? As my old headmaster so nearly used to say: "Sorry, Allan, but if you fly with the craws then you run the risk getting a bloody great bullet up your arse."

Which leaves Kris. Dear Kris. The Boyd Wonder.

Is the national squad of a country struggling with paltry resources the place for a drama queen? Kris Boyd may think he turned his back on George Burley but in reality he threw a gigantic hissy fit that was as much of a two fingered salute to the Tartan Army as anything Barry and Allan managed.

With the supporters downbeat and apathetic will they be willing to welcome back someone who turned his back on them? Will the players who have been through these lowest of times welcome back the fellow warrior who walked away?

For what he will contribute to the cause is Kris Boyd worth taking a risk on? I'd say the divisive nature of any recall would be a hell of a call for the new manager. If it was me I'd leave him in the cold.

Yes, I know he's a prolific goalscorer. But here's a thing. All I've heard over the weekend is the wonders that Walter Smith managed as Scotland manager. Well Walter shares Burley's view of Boyd's effectiveness in big games.

So the new manager has a choice of ignoring Boyd or picking him for the off chance of a hat trick against San Marino and then a flounce off home when he's not picked against Spain. Mud sticks. It's Boyd's own fault that he's done most of the mud slinging himself.

It could be you

And so George Burley's reign ended as we knew - and in his heart of hearts he must have known - it would. The sheer inevitability of his sacking was blatantly obvious at around 3.30 Saturday afternoon.

In truth it has been inevitable throughout a 14 game reign that never looked like building momentum. The flickers of life that were detected during the defeat to Holland and the win over Macedonia proved to be but brief glimpses of what might have been.

We now have time to make a sensible and considered appointment for the next campaign. To do that we'll need a strong, forward looking organisation staffed by footballing men of stature.

Sadly we'll have to make do with the SFA of Gordon Smith and George Peat.

So who are the runners and riders?

Graeme Souness: Ruled himself out before anyone could rule him in. Included here for two reasons. Firstly his damning indictment of the players at the new manager's disposal suggests that this is a job few will covet. Secondly the rumour that Gordon Smith wouldn't enjoy being overshadowed by a big personality like Souness sounds depressingly possible and could cast a long shadow over the recruitment process.

Craig Levein: Few would argue with this and we could expect to see Scotland adopting a revolutionary new approach based around organisation and cohesive tactics. But Levein is only 45 and master of all he surveys at Dundee United where the bare trophy cabinet points to what he considers to be unfinished business. Will the call of his nation appeal? I'd predict he'll quietly rule himself out in the weeks ahead.

Jim Jefferies: He would bring organisation and might be considered the right age. Would he inspire the fans to shake off their growing apathy? No. Nothing against Jim but a bigger character is needed to repair the damage of the last year. He might be qualified but he's not the figure we need to rally around.

Jimmy Calderwood: See above. Jimmy and his tan would be the Harry Redknapp option: probably qualified, probably a good guy but the national job is no longer a sinecure position to reward a solid but unspectacular career.

Walter Smith: Will the SFA be searching for smoke signals from the financially impoverished offices of Ibrox. Tempting to see the last few as a series of events conspiring to deliver Walter back to Hampden. But if he is to leave Rangers at the turn of the year would he want to have another shot at another thankless job? And would he be able to produce the alchemy that raised the hopes of the nation last time around? Or might he suggest to his loyal deputy that the Scotland job is the escape he needs? And would Ally McCoist be considered by the SFA?

John Collins: Young and still relatively inexperienced. If he wants the job he has the, ahem, self confidence to believe that he can do it well. With no other options presenting themselves at the moment he might well throw his hat into the ring. But if he felt the powers that be at Hibs were reactionary, how will he take to the SFA? Questions remain over his man management and that must be a consideration if this group of players are to be scraped off the ground.

Gary McAllister: Not an unblemished record in a short coaching career. The decision not to join Burley's staff now looks like a wise move. Other countries have not been slow to take a risk on relatively inexperienced coaches with long international playing careers. But a risk it would certainly be.

Mark McGhee: A long shot but might the Scotland job offer him a get out from an Aberdeen job that is clearly frustrating him? Would need to be decisive though and must also realise that his career needs stability at this point.

Billy Stark: Doing well with the under-21's. Promoting from within offer a comforting reminder of what we must now consider to be the Roxburgh-Brown glory years. Good results in age group matches don't always translate though so Billy might be best left out of the spotlight.

Johnny Foreigner: All the above point to a small pool to choose from at home. The Berti Vogts years remain a painful memory but there's a whole world of coaches out there who have international experience. Would anybody of stature consider the Scotland job? The recruitment process will have failed if it doesn't at least investigate some options.

AN Other: Would any of the Scottish managers currently plying their trade in the top three divisions of English football consider the national job to be better than what they have at the moment? It's probably unlikely and that rules out a number of options that would otherwise have been shortlisted. A name, however, might still emerge from leftfield. And management is a precarious business. The SFA won't rush this and unforeseen option may well appear as they mull over their decision.

So there we have. It's a long list and there are no names that jump out at me. The available choices don't inspire and I'm not sure how much pulling power the job has for those in employment.

These are bleak times to be taking a difficult job. It's more in hope than expectation that I wait to see if the SFA can get this right.

If they are struggling then maybe they should just choose someone from the #whymeforscotlandmanager thread on Twitter.