Eck was hung out to dry by SFA... the next man can’t be

THE news that Alex McLeish has been sacked as Scotland manager came as no surprise. It hasn’t worked out for him and I’m disappointed for Alex. I think he has been hung out to dry to be perfectly honest. Alex didn’t apply for the job, he was approached and asked if he wanted to come back to Scotland. Who wouldn’t want it? He had been out of it for a wee while and he felt that he could help his country again. It wasn’t new to him, he knew what it was all about having been there previously. A lot of people didn’t want him in the first place, we know that, but he took it on and gave it his best shot. When Alex came in, he should have had the full backing of the country and the team and been given a chance to prove himself. But he has never really got that and the supporters have never really been behind him. You see the comments online or in the papers and you hear them on the radio and there was a huge percentage that were against him from the day he signed as manager. He was never going to please those fans and the Kazakhstan result was enough for them and the criticism has ramped up again. Ever since the Kazakhstan game, it has been nothing but negativity, and that is understandable. The fans have been having a right go at him and when they turn on the Scottish FA board, that only means one thing and they have to take action. You can only play the hand that you have been dealt. Alex will take responsibility for the results, though. If the team had been doing well, he would have been the one getting all the praise, so you have to take the criticism when it comes. But the players have to look at themselves in the mirror as well. In the last two games, who played well? Alex can’t be blamed for that. You can be the best tactician in the world, but if the players don’t play then you don’t win games. Those players will be brought back into the squad for the next games, but Alex won’t. They have got him the sack, it is as simple as that. Now, you look at it and think ‘is it a poisoned chalice?’ How are we going to qualify? It is easy to get rid of the manager, but you have to take into account the players we have got. Is the depth of talent there throughout the team? I’m not sure. It is always great to be picked for your country, I was always delighted to represent Scotland, but too many of these players aren’t good enough. I feel sorry for the next man that comes in as well because he will have an even harder job. I am disappointed that it has happened to Alex, but that is football. Once you get the wrath of the supporters and your directors are getting stick, then you know that your time is up. For Ian Maxwell, the SFA chief executive, it is all about the future now and he knows he has to get this huge decision right. Could we look at England? Look at what they did in bringing through Gareth Southgate. He did his time with the youth teams and worked with the players as they came through the system before joining them in the first team. We have Scot Gemmill in a similar position, so could he take the same path? He has no experience at that level, but he certainly knows the players and their strengths. Could he be worth a shot? I don’t see why not. Whoever it is, I hope he gets more time and more support than Alex did. And, of course, he has to earn better results if Scotland are to somehow finally end our exile from major international tournaments.