IT is perhaps the cruellest of ironies that the sport Scotland obsesses over above all others is also the one that continues to deliver heartache and misery on a seemingly never-ending basis.
Football is hailed as the global game but in many other countries it competes with other sports for the public’s attention. England and Wales have cricket and rugby, Ireland has its own Gaelic games, while other European nations prefer basketball, ice hockey or other winter pastimes with a serving of football on the side.
In Scotland, however, nothing else comes anywhere close to attracting the levels of examination, supposition, and fascination that the round ball game receives. Only in Scotland could we produce one of the finest tennis players of all-time and leave him in the shadow of a sport that, in the men’s game at least, brings nothing but one failure after another.
But it is what it is. Radio and TV current affair shows often piggyback on the collective gloom in times like these to ask mischievously whether it is maybe time to adopt another national sport. It is like suggesting the Pope might want to consider taking up a new religion.
Football is in the blood and in the genes and no attempts to manufacture an artificial alternative will make the slightest bit of difference. You only had to witness the vast number of both media and supporters that travelled to Slovakia this week to watch the latest Scotland capitulation to understand the grip that football has on the country. That is not going to change any time soon.
It is something of a head scratcher, then, that having so much attention trained on one aspect of Scottish life has not led to an improvement in performance. It is like 1000 mechanics peering into the bonnet of a broken-down car and somehow failing to get it working again.
And yet, for 20 years now the Scottish national team has failed to qualify for a major tournament and is on the cusp of falling short once again. And the process seems to just go round and round on an endless cycle, with no lessons seemingly learned from previous setbacks, nor any great inclination to try something different.
At this point Scotland needs revolution not evolution. If, as seems increasingly likely, Gordon Strachan steps down as manager before the end of the year then many of the same names and faces will probably figure on the shortlist to succeed him.
It will mostly be out-of-work Scots, some with decent playing or management pedigree, but none who would likely be considered a radical appointment to solve a problem that has persisted for two decades. Should Scotland go on to replace Strachan with another candidate of a similar calibre and background, there is every chance we will be back at this exact juncture in two years’ time poring over the exact same failings. And repeat ad infinitum.
Appointing the new head coach of the men’s ‘A’ team should not be a decision taken in isolation but as part of a wider strategy that stretches all the way down to grassroots level. It requires bold, innovative thinking on the part of the Scottish Football Association, for chief executive Stewart Regan and president Alan McRae to be brave enough to take a long-term view in the realisation it may mean some tough times in the short-term.
It may take a foreign coach to bring about the sort of sea change required, someone not inhibited by a need to conform to traditional but unsuccessful Scottish methods. It should be someone willing to introduce new ideas, embrace outside-the-box thinking, and foster a new attitude. Cynicism, that most Scottish of traits, should be temporarily suspended. Communication with the public via the media should be positive but realistic. The fans who invest so much money, time and effort in following their national team should be brought along on the journey, too.
The average age of the senior squad should be reduced drastically. Only a smattering of players in their 30s should be kept on to help with the transition. There should be a public acknowledgement that a youthful group will need time to gel and, realistically, may not be serious contenders to qualify for the next competition.
Few would surely grumble. When you have been trying and failing for 20 years with the same old methods then failing again on the way to a better long-term solution must be more acceptable. The under-21 squad is in no great shape either just now but in the recently-appointed Scot Gemmill they have a progressive coach whose ideas should dovetail with any innovative new ‘A’ squad manager.
More investment should be made in facilities and in better training for coaches, governments badgered for extra resources. It is the national game after all. That is something that will never change but the time has come to do things differently.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel