Charles van Commenee will not shirk the difficult decisions that will undoubtedly present themselves when he sits down in late June and decides on the composition of the UK's track and field team for the Olympic Games.

Dreams will be fulfilled or broken under his scrutiny. And with a target of eight medals laid down, the Dutchman is seeking excellence over mediocrity to satisfy the demands of an expectant British public.

There is a potent core who can already plan on a London summer. For the rest, cases must be made. Troublingly for Scottish athletics, its cluster of contenders have all been tasked with earning their seats on the bus.

In Beijing, the Caledonian representation numbered just five among a squad of 67. At last year's world championships, only three Scots made the trip. Even less are likely to find their way into the line-up for next month's world indoors in Istanbul following this weekend's trials in Sheffield.

While his footballing counterpart Stuart Pearce is under pressure to play the numbers game at the Olympics, van Commenee will not factor birthplaces into his equation. "I can't say how many Scots there will be," he said. "But I always say: the athletes select themselves. Or not. They all know the standards we are looking for. If they reach those criteria then I personally don't care which part of Britain they come from. It makes no difference to me if they are Welsh, Scottish, from Northern Ireland or England."

Not that van Commenee is ignorant of the politics but he is judged by results alone. The responsibility for offering him options from north of the border would normally rest upon Scotland's director of coaching. Except, the position is currently vacant, and may remain so for several months, after the departure of two incumbents within the last year.

That should not be a cause for major concern. "I don't think the appointment of a head coach this close to the Games will make a difference. Long term, it may. However, it won't have an effect on 2012," said van Commenee.

He is keen, though, that a talisman is recruited to ignite the production line. "Somebody who has a passion for development," is van Commenee's identikit for the role. "Because that's the main objective for Scotland at the moment. And somebody who can build bridges. Those are the qualities the person needs to have."

The newcomer will play a key role in sculpting Scotland's team at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Two years ago in Delhi, the athletics competition was hit badly by the withdrawals of the sport's biggest names, Britain's best included. Van Commenee deemed the event so inconsequential that performance there had no bearing on the levels of funding for the subsequent season.

The Dutchman stressed Glasgow will be different even though it ends just nine days before the rather more prestigious European Championships in Zurich begin. "Delhi had to do with the location, not so much with the timing," he said. "The Commonwealth Games is a serious event. I think it's in everybody's diary for 2014."