Fabio Capello tops the list.

Giovanni Trapattoni is not liable to go without either. But as Scotland launch a renewed search for a manager who might finally take the country to the finals of an international tournament before an entire generation forgets what that experience is like, the funds in question will not be hugely significant in luring someone to the post.

The sum repeatedly mentioned with the Scotland post is rumoured to sit in the £300,000 region. Hardly to be sniffed at by those who fork out decent money to turn up and watch the kind of dross performances that Scotland have been turning in recently, but a different sphere entirely from the £5m that Capello takes home.

In between the wealth of the English FA and the relative paupery of the SFA, there are a few surprises, too. That Raymond Domenech, the French manager, earns £400,00 is one, while the £500,000 paid out to Spanish manager Vicente del Bosque is another.

The question of just who Scotland can attract with the kind of money that is on offer is an obvious one. Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola are not going to be found knocking on the door, but by the same token, just as on the playing side of things, there are bargains to be found.

Slaven Bilic, the Croatian manager, earns a third of what Scotland are willing to pay, yet has earned a reputation as one of the up- and-coming managers of his generation. He became the youngest national manager to lead his country to the knock-out stages of a major competition at the 2008 European Championships, yet it is his passion and commitment that shine through more than anything when he is in the dug-out.

In Scandinavia, Lars Lagerback also enjoyed a successful reign as the Sweden manager, again on a third of the salary that the SFA are paying. He retired when Sweden failed to qualify for next summer’s World Cup finals, but at the other end of the scale Trapattoni earns a pricey £1.8m a year as manager of the Republic of Ireland and it is a return that may not reap success with the Irish struggling to overcome a 1-0 deficit against France in the play-offs.

Such a failure is something that Scotland are continually paying for.

A conservative estimate at what an association would bank from qualifying lies at around £5m. Scotland have missed out on six major tournaments, so the maths may not be difficult but it is mindboggling. Where would Scotland be if they had earned £30m over the last dozen years?

The problem for Scottish football is that the grass has been allowed to grow under the feet of the SFA. While other countries have shown a degree of ambition, not just in pushing out the boat, as in the case of the Republic of Ireland, to get a manager with a commanding stature in the game, there have also been other policies put in place.

In the United States, football is now the most popular sport for pre-school and school-aged children of both sexes. If a country with three national sports that come before football can revolutionise their approach to the game, and in the process have qualified for every World Cup since 1990, why can’t Scotland? The case of Switzerland is equally interesting. Under legendary manager Ottmar Hitzfeld the Swiss have qualified in first place from their group for the 2010 World Cup, but if that was not enough to raise a few eyebrows, the fact that their Under-17 side have just won the World Cup, a success that has been attributed to the grass roots policy that was put in place in 1995 to encourage more youngsters to participate in football, will also have been noted with some surprise.

The Swiss are fortunate enough to be on a solid financial footing after co-hosting the European Championships, but even then the figures they paid to acquire the services of Hitzfeld have not broken the bank. However, it is the manager’s desire to be in charge of the Swiss that was as big a factor in his decision to take over than the £1.5m Swiss francs (around £885,000) on offer.

Although German by nationality, Hitzfeld, who won the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, grew up watching Swiss side FC Basle and held a long-term ambition to take over the Swiss national side, something that was obviously of note to the Swiss FA when they were able to acquire his services.

It has been an appointment that has paid dividends for them and the question for the SFA as they mull over George Burley’s replacement may be the idea of speculating to accumulate. It is a risk, since money alone does not carry a stamp of success. While observers will point to the fact that there is little between Switzerland and Scotland, it should be noted that those who will pull on the red shirts of Switzerland in South Africa play their football in the upper echelons of the European game, with the Bundesliga and the Premiership featuring.

Contrast that with Scotland and it is clear that whoever comes in will have their work cut out for them.

Swiss journalist Thomas Schifferle has watched with interest as Hitzfeld has invoked a sense of pride and jubilation in the Swiss ranks, but whether or not Scotland can find a manager capable of working a miracle remains to be seen. Certainly, it isn’t the kind of post that Sir Alex Ferguson is going to be falling over himself to take and it may be that the Swiss managed to land on their feet. “Switzerland got lucky, because Ottmar had decided that he would not sign an extended contract with Bayern Munich and they moved in quickly to get him,” explained Schifferle.

“He had never made any secret of the fact that Switzerland was in his heart and I think the Swiss FA were delighted when they got him, for very obvious reasons.

“There is no doubt that he is the most expensive manager that Switzerland have ever had, but at the same time it is not a huge amount when you consider the other salaries that are paid to international managers. In any case, having got Switzerland to qualify first from the group and make it to the World Cup finals, the feeling is that his appointment has more than paid for itself and the country is buoyant about the prospect of going to South Africa.”

Scotland can only look on enviously. Whether or not that will be the case when the European Championships are played out in 2012 will depend on just where the SFA go from here.