The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Opportunity knocked but an Old Firm veto meant a chance for change was squandered
What might have been. Craig Brown remains the last man to guide the national team to a major finals, but no one would have been happier had Gordon Strachan managed to end Scotland’s miserable absence from football’s top table.
It wasn’t to be, again, with the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign ending in an all too familiar feeling of disappointment.
Scotland supporters will watch on with envy when England, Northern Ireland and Wales take part in next summer’s tournament in France.
Former Aberdeen manager Brown believes it could have been different for Scotland had more been done to increase the number of young Scottish players involved in first team football.
In particular, Brown laments a missed opportunity to follow a French blueprint he believes would have made a major difference to our national game.
In 2005 the 75-year-old, who served as Scotland manager from 1993 to 2001, was keen for Scottish clubs to follow an initiative in France which limited Ligue 1 clubs to a maximum of 20 players aged over 20.
The policy was introduced in the mid-1990s by Gerard Houllier, the then technical director of the French Football Federation, who was tasked with addressing France’s failure to reach the 1990 and 1994 World Cups.
Brown said: “Scotland qualified ahead of France for the 1990 World Cup and they decided to restructure their game after also failing to make it to America four years later.
“They put a rule in place that clubs could not have more than 20 players aged over 20, which helped reduce wage bills and forced clubs to play younger players.
“The proposal was discussed at an SFA development meeting where Bert van Lingen represented Rangers and Eric Black was there for Celtic, but they both opposed the idea.
“They felt it would put their clubs at a disadvantage in Europe. I reminded them Auxerre, managed by Guy Roux, had beaten a Rangers side 2-0 at Ibrox the previous year having played under that system.
“The Rangers team started that match with only one Scottish player in the team – Bob Malcolm.”
John Collins, who played for Monaco from 1996 to 1998, sold Brown on the idea.
He explained: “Monaco were running out of players because of injuries and suspensions.
“They were not allowed to sign anyone so they promoted two 16-year-olds to the first team.
“They happened to be Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet.
“Two years later they were part of the French team that won the World Cup.
“John told me they would never have got into the Monaco team if the manager had been allowed to sign another couple of players as he would have gone for more experienced players.”
The SPFL’s under-20 development league was created in order to encourage clubs to offer increased opportunities to young players but Brown still believes changes could be made.
He said: “It used to be the case that teams could only field three over-aged players – now you can play five which is much better.
“I think it would be better if they just made it a reserve league and forgot about the age restrictions.
“I watch as many under-20 games as I can and the matches are of good quality.
“But I think it is unnecessary to restrict it.
“Managers are sensible enough to use the matches as a way of developing young talent as well as giving senior players game time.”
Brown is also concerned by the amount of travelling done by the youngest players attached to Scottish clubs.
He said: “It used to be the case that a player would play for Dyce Boys Club or Albion Boys Club and come in to Aberdeen to train twice a week.
“Now, the clubs are running their own teams at under-10, under-11 level and so on.
“I have a grandson who plays and travels with Ayr United under-17s.
“When they play against Aberdeen, they are spending four hours travelling on a bus from Ayr and the same going back.
“That is eight hours travelling to play a game when they could be playing football and working on their skills.
“This stems from the
“The Rangers team started that match with only one Scottish player in the team” “The fixtures could be arranged locally to cut down on the travelling time”
idea that in order to improve standards we need to get the best players from across the country playing against each other.
“I think this is all right when you get to under-17 and under-20 level, but they are doing this amount of travelling on a regular basis at under-13 and under-14 level.
“The other week, I heard that Stranraer under-13s were travelling to Dingwall to face Ross County.
“The fixtures could be arranged locally to cut down on the travelling time.
“People such as Jimmy Johnstone, Willie Henderson, Graham Leggatt and even Scott Booth and Eoin Jess weren’t travelling the length and breadth of the country just to get a game of football.”