Who next for Scotland?

George Burley’s recent exit as Scotland manager has led to rumours and speculation over who will be the next man to try and take what’s been described by some as a poisoned chalice.

The list of candidates is long and getting longer by the day. It’s strange that the list of people who have ruled themselves out is also getting longer.

Rule outs

There are many big names that have already ruled themselves out of the position. Rangers boss Walter Smith is the latest decent manager to rule himself out.

Former Liverpool and Blackburn boss and also Scottish legend Graeme Souness has also decided against putting his hat into the ring. Birmingham boss Alex McLeish and Middlesbrough chief Gordon Strachan have both also snubbed the opportunity.

Tough Job

The prospect of taking over the Scottish national team is usually pretty difficult for a proud Scot to turn down, but the state of the national team has made the search for a new boss really hard for the SFA. Scotland’s 3-0 defeat to Wales was a new low point and surely now things can only get better for the Tartan Army. No offence to Wales but surely the Scots should have done better.

‘Too thick’

I read a comment by former Scottish international Craig Burley saying that the Scottish players were ‘Too thick’ to understand his uncle George’s instructions. That is a ridiculous comment to make against his compatriots.

He also said that the players are not good enough, which many will agree with but saying the players are stupid is uncalled for. Veteran defender David Weir has came out in defence of his teammates and has told press that he felt insulted by Burley comments. Davey has a right to be insulted he’s an intelligent guy.

Is Lagerback next?

There are some interesting names now being linked with the job. The strangest one I’ve read is former Sweden boss Lars Lagerback. I don’t think he would be the right choice as he’s just failed to help his national side to the World Cup with players such as Barcelona star Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lyon star Kim Kallstrom and Hamburg youngster Marcus Berg.

However he has had success in the past with Sweden but maybe his time has now gone. He wouldn’t be working with such talented players in the Scotland squad as Ibrahimovic and co.

Who else?

One of the current front runners for the job is Dundee United boss Craig Levein. The former Hearts and Leicester boss has refused to comment on speculation linking him with the job. Levein is probably in the second tier of Scottish managers. He is still young and could make himself a top manager in the future. However he is not in the same bracket as Walter Smith, David Moyes or Sir Alex Ferguson.

Heart

It’s surprising that in recent matches the Scots seemed to have lost the heart that used to drag them to major tournaments. That heart and passion has always been in the psyche of the country. Scotland is a patriotic country and the Tartan Army deserve better than the recent tripe performances of their national team.

Restoration of Heart and confidence

The Scottish need somebody to restore the confidence and the heart back into the team. They also need somebody to have the same galvanising affect that Giovanni Trapattoni has had on the Republic of Ireland team. The situation is similar to the one that befell the Italian when he took over.

There are two perfect men for the job who are proud Scots and have the ability to do exactly the above. Unfortunately for Scotland they are currently too busy managing Premier League sides. The two I’m talking about are Manchester United’s Sir Alex Ferguson and up the East Lanc’s road at Everton David Moyes. If the SFA could persuade one of those then it would be fantastic for the country but I don’t either will be taking the job anytime soon.