EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW McLeish: Lack of Scottish managers is England’s loss
JUST six years ago, the English Premiership had seven Scottish managers working in it.
Sir Alex Ferguson, Kenny Dalglish, Davie Moyes, Alex McLeish, Paul Lambert, Owen Coyle and Stevie Kean all held down top jobs.
But since then the numbers have dwindled. Indeed, alarmingly, when the English top flight kicks off next weekend, there won’t be a single Scot in charge of any of the 20 clubs.
And in the division below, Preston gaffer Alex Neil is the only Scottish representative.
Between 2007 and 2013, Alex McLeish had spells in charge of Birmingham City, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest. So he knows the landscape well.
He hopes that current situation is just an unfortunate phase, and that in the not-too-distant future, the chairmen and owners of English clubs will quickly go back to turning their attention to north of the border to recruit.
McLeish told the Sunday Post: “There is a massive trend just now, and it’s because there are so many foreign owners of the English outfits.
“Clubs, in the main, are looking to bring in coaches to work under or alongside sporting directors, and the days of being a ‘manager’, as we would have called ourselves, appear to be on the way out.
“The English Premier League is looking to attract the best coaches in the land and it is becoming a place only for the elite.
“But it’s difficult to criticise any club for going down that road because they are spending lots and lots of money. They want to give their club, and its supporters, the best possible chance of success.
“Maybe it will come around again and we’ll see a change where it goes back to British guys because this is not just about Scotsmen. It applies to Englishmen too.
“Only five guys from England out of 20 are managing in the top flight.
“You just have to wait for an opportunity. The bottom line is that not every appointment will be successful and there will be casualties at different stages of the season.
“We must not be disheartened. We’ve a good set-up in Scotland and it’s vital that our aspiring coaches and managers attend the SFA courses at Largs.
“It’s important that our young coaches do not believe that any other coaches are better than them. I’m not saying that in terms of that they can be arrogant, but they must have confidence.
“Scottish clubs need to give their own a chance. The Premiership has six Scottish managers, four from Northern Ireland and one from Portugal, while Hearts are looking to replace Ian Cathro.
“I was given my chance at Motherwell and then to Hibs and then a massive jump to Rangers. We need that pathway to open so that opportunities are there for our own coaches to grow, develop and prosper.
“I’ve been in management for more than 20 years and there is a lot to be said for experience. The older you get, the wiser you become and the more adept you are at dealing with different situations.
“You also become sharper when it comes to common sense.
“I will never give up hope. I just wait for an opportunity to be given an audience with an owner or chief executive.
“Sir Alex Ferguson was the last pioneer, and before him we had excellent Scottish managers such as George Graham, Bill Shankly and Sir Matt Busby doing wonderful things in England.
“So I have to say that England not having any Scots in their top division – and only one manager in the Championship – is their loss.
“Scots are too talented to ignore. Owners need to have faith in us.
“A lot of Scots were appointed by English clubs as fire-fighters. It’s happened many, many times.
“I was given the Birmingham City job and was fighting relegation from day one. We won promotion back up the following season to the top flight and finished ninth in the table.
“But the season we won the League Cup was blighted by relegation.
“I’ve since had spells in Belgium and Egypt to add to my time in Scotland with Motherwell, Hibs and Rangers and, of course, Scotland.
“I still feel I have a lot to offer. I’d love another challenge and the chance to succeed at the sharp end.
“But we are most definitely living in different times. Football has always been fickle but it has been very, very fickle in the past four or five years, and managers can be under extreme pressure after just five or six games.
“That just isn’t right. But it’s the career path we’ve chosen and we have to accept it.”