Malky must continue to focus on Project Brave SFAhaveto keepupthe search for real Mackay

HIS blood will be pumping and his stomach churning as he strides out of the Pittodrie tunnel and takes his place in the dugout.

As Scotland and Holland line up in front of him and the Tartan Army burst into a chorus of the national anthem, there will be few prouder men in the country.

He will kick every ball, will hopefully have a goal to celebrate and maybe even have a win to add to his scrapbook of achievements as a manager and a player.

Then, it will all be done. For Malky Mackay, that is as good as it is going to get. He should enjoy it while it lasts, because 90 minutes on Thursday night is all the time he has as manager of Scotland.

Mackay was the obvious, and perhaps only, man for Stewart Regan to turn to ahead of the friendly with The Netherlands. But the decision to rule him out of the running to be Gordon Strachan’s successor should have been as easy as the one to ask him to step in.

The 45-year-old didn’t exactly close the door on becoming manager on a permanent basis when he was asked last week. He should have, though.

It is fair to say the appointment of Mackay as Performance Director wasn’t exactly a universally popular one – those now infamous text mes- Brian McClair’s record as Performance Director can only be bettered by Mackay sages still at the forefront of people’s minds.

While some will hold Mackay to his words and actions forever, others will forgive and forget and let him get on with his career – that is the job in hand at Hampden.

The Performance Director gig hasn’t exactly been a success so far and after the less than impressive reigns of Mark Wotte and Brian McClair, the Mackay era simply has to work.

So, what would it say about the SFA’s commitment to the post if they turned to Mackay and made him Scotland boss? They would be as well binning every Project Brave handbook, deleting all the PowerPoint presentations and telling clubs to continue doing as they please.

IInterim Scotland boss Malky Mackay will be in charge for The Netherlands clash T would make all the meetings a waste of time, render all the investment a waste of money.

It would be a slap in the face to a generation of Scottish kids that dare to dream but will be staring at the same reality as their failed predecessors from the last two decades.

No matter the performance at Pittodrie, Mackay’s chances of being Scotland boss beyond should remain at zero.

For many, the chance to manage your country is the ultimate achievement in the game and it may well be a position that Mackay has always coveted.

But he already has the most important job at Hampden. Forget 90 minutes, Scotland’s future is in his hands. The reaction to Scotland failing on the international stage is familiar by now. The rhetoric is the same but some of the details change.

We have been urged to look at t he Spanish and t he Germans, to study what the French and the Dutch have done and to take inspiration from Iceland. Well, maybe we should look closer to hope and see what England are up to.

The success for their Under-17 side at the World Cup in India last month capped a remarkable summer for the Three Lions youth sides. After winning the Toulon Tournament in June, the Under-20s were also crowned World Champions, while the Under-19s won the European Championships.

The FA are clearly doing something right. If England can do it, there is no reason why we can’t. MARCO Asensio was happy to share the acclaim after his blockbuster strike helped Real Madrid put back-to-back defeats behind them in style.

Real, fresh from a shock LaLiga defeat at Girona and a Champions League reverse at Tottenham, regained their usual swagger with a 3-0 win at the Bernabeu.

Casemiro calmed the nerves with a header shortly before half-time and Isco closed the scoring with a close-range finish, while Cristiano Ronaldo clipped the woodwork on three separate occasions.

But it was Asensio’s unstoppable left-footed effort that stole the show, and knocked the stuffing from the visitors.

The 21-year-old was in no mood to hog the spotlight afterwards, telling Movistar Plus: “It does not matter who scores. We are a team, we do not have to look who scores the goals.

“We all row in the same direction.”

Even when tempted into talking about his 25-yard half-volley, Asensio shied away from hyperbole, adding: “Today was another good goal, I was able to hit it well. We know that the coach trusts everyone and you can not always be in the side. I have to keep working to be able to stay in but with games like today things might go better.”

Real captain Sergio Ramos was on hand with readier praise.

The central defender said: “It’s very good that he scores those goals, he has an innate talent and I hope he continues to have some luck in front of the goal.

“I’ve said several times that you have to leave this boy calm, do not put stones in his backpack.

“This victory has come to improve our confidence and this is the way to recover from our results.”

Las Palmas coach Pako Ayesteran has now overseen six successive league defeats and is rumoured to be facing the sack.

“I’m focused on getting the most out of this team,” he said in the face of speculation.

“They have shown that they are committed and involved and the rest is not in our hands.

“I am proud of the team, we got positive things from this game, including a first half where we controlled the game.”