‘I would be a far better boss now’

being out of the game at the moment,’ he said. ‘You feel as if you have much more common sense. Whereas in your early days you burst into decisions without giving a commonsense run over them first.’ Asked if there had been any approach from the SFA, he replied: ‘(There has been) no call. It would be nice to get a call to see what their thoughts are. There are a lot of good candidates out there. ‘It was a short spell I had in the job but it was a really exciting time. ‘It would be great to think the next coach or manager could get Scotland to a major finals. It is going to happen some day.’ Meanwhile, Lisbon Lion Jim Craig believes Brendan Rodgers could double up as manager of Celtic and Scotland — but doubts he would want to take on the burden. Craig, who represented club and country when Jock Stein split his time between the two jobs half a century ago, said: ‘Brendan Rodgers certainly has the capability — but whether he would want to do it is another matter. It’s an enormously big decision for the SFA who they appoint next because Euro 2020 games will be played at Hampden and it would be hellish if we weren’t there. ‘It puts even more strain on the incumbent. Of the names being put forward very few are in football at the present moment — at least Brendan is.’

ALEX McLEISH last night claimed that he would be far better suited to leading Scotland second time around. And he insisted he can improve on his previous 70-per-cent win record with the nation to end a painful two-decade wait for a major finals appearance. The former national team boss yesterday urged the SFA to give him a call, insisting he would be open to ‘creative discussions’ about the next move following close pal Gordon Strachan’s departure last week. McLeish led Scotland to seven victories in his ten games at the helm back in 2007 before quitting to join Birmingham City. Now 58, the former Rangers and Hibernian coach says the intervening ten years spent ‘fighting fires’ at clubs as varied as Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Genk and Egyptian side Zamalek have honed his managerial skills to an even finer point. ‘Yes, that’s the irony with me