I’m ready for the long haul
McLeish wants Scots job again
THE record is undoubtedly very impressive. But it’s also awfully short. And that cuts to the heart of every doubt harboured by Scotland supporters wary of entering into another footballing tryst with Alex McLeish.
He left us in the lurch once, jumping ship to Birmingham City — oh, the glamour — after only ten games at the helm.
Having won seven of those matches, he’d taken us to the brink of qualification for the European Finals.
But a closing defeat at Hampden to Italy in November of 2007, a gut-wrenching 2-1 loss leaving our Euro 2008 hopes in tatters, was also his farewell appearance.
Having taken over from Walter Smith in the January of that year, McLeish had enjoyed his 11 months immensely; this was the man, after all, who masterminded
that victory over France at Parc des Princes.
But the prospect of eight months without a competitive fixture, for a man not yet 50 and with ambitions to manage in England, proved less attractive than life at St Andrew’s.
Asked outright yesterday if he was willing to give the SFA assurances about not pouncing upon the first English offer to be wafted in his general direction, McLeish said: ‘Yes. It could be a good time in my life. The age I am at, I still feel I have a lot of mileage in me for any chance.
‘I have done a lot of fire-fighting in England and I got a lot of books balanced — and also kept teams competitive.
‘The international challenge is different in that you are not wheeling and dealing — you are trying to get a bunch of guys to play to outstanding levels.’
Pressed again on concerns that he might use Scotland as a stepping stone, McLeish — who won 77 caps and played in three different World Cups for his nation — said: ‘It is all hypothetical but the only way we find out about things is through creative discussion.’
If it might take something more concrete to allay the fears of the recruiting party being sent forth from Hampden, there’s no doubting that McLeish is as qualified as most on the ‘hypothetical’ short list — and better placed than a number of club managers with zero exposure to leading a national team.
Timing also plays a part. At 58, McLeish feels a better fit for a job whose enforced spells of inactivity always left him pawing at the ground first time around. ‘I felt when I took it last time around, well, was I ready for international football?’ he asked.
‘I used to think it was older coaches who go down that route. But, at that time, it was trendy for young coaches.
‘There was Marco van Basten, Jurgen Klinsmann and there were three or four others worldwide.
‘Of course, the thing is, when they actually call you then it is hard to say no.
‘You find yourself going: “Well, I was going to think about this — but yes, I’ll take it!”. It was incredible, managing Scotland. It was an incredible run of games.’
Showing how much the memories still mean to him, the man who led Scotland with such distinction picks out the undoubted low point of his short reign — a 2-0 loss to Georgia in Tbilisi, just days after a rollicking Hampden win over Ukraine — as an abiding regret.
‘If I could turn the clock back, the one I would change is my approach in Georgia, when I kept faith with the same team who expended a lot of energy in the Ukraine game,’ he said, shaking his head.
‘In this game, you never stop learning. You can be as experienced as Sir Alex Ferguson, and Sir Alex will still sometimes make mistakes. When it comes to those levels, the fine detail has to be spot on.’
Having left a team who came so close to robbing either the reigning World Cup holders or the runners-up of a spot in the Euros, it has been hard for McLeish to watch Scotland’s struggles over the past ten years.
He thought ex-Aberdeen team-mate and close friend Gordon Strachan was the right man for the job. He would dearly like to build on what he sees as the recently-departed manager’s good work.
‘Scotland are very close now,’ he declared, holding up a hand to fend off objections as he added: ‘I know we have been saying that for a long time — but Gordon finished with tremendous momentum.’
There’s no doubt that McLeish has the playing and managerial record needed to provide a reassuring presence in the dressing room; like Strachan, he would never fear any demand to produce medals as proof of his value.
He could also point to that 70-per-cent win ratio as evidence in his favour. Without, perhaps, going into detail about the length of his tenure.