DESTINY CALLS
McLeish says he was fated to return as Scotland boss
ALEX McLEish believes it was his destiny to secure a cherished return to the scotland manager’s job.
After signing a deal to take the national team to 2020, McLeish claimed fate played a part in realising a long-held ambition to return to the national team.
Previously manager for a tenmonth spell in 2007, he quit to join Birmingham City after taking the scots to the brink of Euro 2008.
And yesterday he vowed to win over supporters reluctant to forgive or forget his decision to walk out on the national team.
‘it feels a bit surreal but i believe i’m the guy for the job,’ said McLeish despite the sFA clearly targeting Michael O’Neill and Walter smith ahead of him.
‘When i looked at other guys who have gone back to take charge of
their national teams for a second time, like Dick Advocaat and Louis van Gaal, I thought: “Yeah, that could be on for me some time”. ‘The opportunity arose and I felt I had to go for it. Because I believe it was my destiny.’ McLeish, who will meet James McFadden next week as he plans a backroom team which is also set to include Peter Grant, worked in Belgium for Genk before leaving his last coaching post with Egyptian club Zamalek 19 months ago. Pressed on why he felt fated to return to a Scotland job he left quickly, he added: ‘Because I believe I’m the right man. Okay, Michael turned it down. But you have to believe in yourself. ‘Since I left to go to England in 2007, it has been a lot of firefighting but I had quite a lot of success in those years and I have a lot of experience. ‘It’s the same with the squad. We have a lot of young guys coming through but you can’t throw them all in at once. You have to let them mature and make mistakes. But they are coming along brilliantly. ‘Of course, we also need the nous of the experienced guys. ‘In terms of destiny, I just feel it’s the right time for me. I feel I’m a better manager now. The common-sense factor grows in you and you see things in a different way.’ McLeish had the firm backing of SFA vice president Rod Petrie but he also secured the support of Sir Alex Ferguson — a personal friend of governing body president Alan McRae. The fourth most-capped player in Scotland history, McLeish won seven out of ten games in his first spell. A memorable win over France in Paris propelled the national team to the brink of Euro 2008 before defeats to Georgia and Italy ended the campaign in bitter disappointment. Hankering for the day-to-day involvement of club football, McLeish left soon after for a Premier League job with Birmingham — to the chagrin of many within the Tartan Army. ‘When I left then, I wondered if I would get another chance to rectify that, to be involved in something spectacular in terms of qualifying for a finals,’ admitted McLeish. ‘It’s looking that way now, because we haven’t been at a tournament since 1998. It’s something of a massive feat but I think it is within our grasp.’ His first game in charge is a friendly against Costa Rica at Hampden next month. Four days later, the Scots play Hungary away before taking on a controversial trip to Peru and Mexico at the end of the season. Vowing to get round the clubs and build relationships with managers, McLeish’s priority is the appointment of an assistant manager and a backroom team. ‘I’ve made phone calls and I’m hopeful of announcing that some time next week,’ he said.