Burley Remains Scotland Boss

In the past some people have accused the SFA of having their head buried in the sand, living in the past and being out of touch with what’s happening now. Well it’s good to see that they have proved they are right up to date now by following the lead of the banking and rewarded an employee (Burley –and his new contract) for failing miserably.




It’s difficult to see what justifiable reasons the SFA had for giving him a new contract. Maybe it was because of the great win record of his team and the great results he brought? Well three wins from 11 matches, 8 goals scored and 15 conceded isn’t brilliant and we’d be hard pressed to find any Member of the Tartan Army who thought it was!



Sure there was improvement in the display against Holland at Hampden, but Scotland were fighting for their lives and when the chips are really down we know the Scots will battle to the end no matter who the manager is. This spirited display glosses over the fact that in the first half at Hampden against Macedonia Scotland could have been 4-0 down if Macedonia had a striker that could finish. They looked disjointed; tactically unsure of what was expected of them and just downright awful.



This display wasn’t just a blip or one-off either, against Norway where they lost 4-0 Burley was given a “get out of jail free card” when Gary Caldwell was sent off, as the heavy defeat could be blamed on his dismissal. But the truth is Scotland were awful and were soundly beaten by a team that is at best ordinary.



During his reign so far Burley has made some strange choices in his selections for a game and substitutions during them. These decisions haven’t always been popular with players or fans and it’s hard to say whether these decisions are brave or just foolish. It will be interesting to see if any other players call a day to their International careers now.



There’s no doubt that George Burley is a decent man and cares deeply for Scotland and is committed to doing his best, but is that good enough? Scotland’s next competitive match is in 12 month’s time, so Burley has a year to get it right and we think he is extremely lucky to be given that opportunity.



In a statement the SFA said, “We all acknowledge that there have been disappointments over the past year and that we have not met our objective to qualify for the World Cup.

However, what is also clear is that George and his players have shown that they are moving in the right direction. George has been rebuilding his squad and brought through many young players who he feels will bring us success in the years to come.”



Maybe the SFA do really believe that, but we think it could be because Burley doesn’t rock the boat, is a yes man, and doesn’t cost the earth to employ. Coupled with the fact that there’s probably no one out there at the moment that the SFA would find suitable or who would actually want the job are probably the main reasons Burley still has a job tonight.



We’d love to hear what you think. Is he the man to lead Scotland to greater things? Is it a mistake not to sack him? Is Burley another Bertie Vogt’s all over again? Tell us what you think by leaving your comments below. We’d love to hear them.