Sbragia proves a disappointment
RICKY SBRAGIA is often described to me as a good man and a good coach.
It cannot be denied, however, that he was a bad Scotland Under-21 manager.
Two wins out of eight in the European Championship qualifiers is disappointing enough, but there was that unnecessary row over branding Jack Harper, then in the Real Madrid youths, a ‘luxury’ when he simply had to point out he was unproven at any kind of level.
The treatment of Chris Cadden around the midweek thrashing in Ukraine looked bad, too. Omitted from the squad despite putting in a year of solid performances at Motherwell, he suddenly ends up being drafted in and catapulted into the starting line-up when Fir Park manager Mark McGhee starts bumping his gums.
It gave the impression Sbragia was never in control, never quite comfortable with the attention and the pressures of the job.
Scot Gemmill is to take over. Gemmill is a guy who moved to Catalonia and watched Barcelona training sessions through a wire fence for the best part of a year when doing his Pro Licence.
Modern, progressive and a little obsessive, he has admitted to being an introvert, someone who had to ask himself whether he really had it in him to be a leader.
It will be interesting to see how things develop under his watch.
Sbragia will stay on the SFA staff. It doesn’t add to his reputation. Resigning and leaving would’ve been a more honourable course of action.