Fan power can yet force vital change within the SFA

HOW is a young man, after years of gallivanting and adventure, ever to forget the evening he turned his back on being part of the Tartan Army?

June 23, 1998 was the date. The scene? Standing behind the goal in Bordeaux, watching middle-aged men in kilts doing the conga after we’d been bowled out of the World Cup by Morocco.

Too many of these characters had appeared on the scene, more interested in embroidered polo shirts with their names on than how the team was actually performing.

They have since played right into the SFA’s hands, with cheering Gordon Strachan and his players off the park in Gibraltar after blowing Euro 2016 qualification their nadir.

It is why the sound of revolt in San Marino last weekend and the abuse of the SFA was such music to the ears. It suggests all hope is not lost.

If ever a mob deserved stick, it is those inside Hampden. The appointment of Alex McLeish as manager is now widely recognised as little more than a political carve-up. There is no main sponsor. The association is skint. Their Pro-Youth system a failure. The refereeing system is coming apart. Were it not for contributions by businessmen, the SFA would be renting Murrayfield after Euro 2020. On top of all that, Rod Petrie (left) remains in line to replace Alan McRae as president. That Petrie would be outnumbered on the board by club-minded directors is irrelevant.

This guy will be living high on the hog, representing Scotland within UEFA and FIFA. What has he done to deserve such an honour?

If McLeish remains in charge, there will be no one inside Hampden for the visit of Cyprus in June.

If someone else comes in, it shouldn’t take those above him out of the firing line.

Fans do have the power to effect change. And, my goodness, if anywhere needs to be changed for the better, it’s the SFA. San Marino should only be the start.