O wad some Power the giftie gie us, To see oursels as ithers see us. The Bard may not have envisioned that his observations would one day prove pertinent in the discussion around the new Scotland manager, but this one is certainly apt, nonetheless.
The arrival of Sebastien Pocognoli as the new Scotland head coach, just the second foreign manager to take on the role, may well be the catalyst to break us out of some of the self-made shackles that have long held back the national team.
A slightly less celebrated Scottish wordsmith - namely, erm, Andy Roxburgh - produced an equally astute take on the national side some time ago, and one of my favourite Scottish football quotes.
“The Scotland team is more than just a football team,” Roxburgh opined.
“It’s a symbol of everything we would like to be as a nation – flamboyant, exciting, glamorous and colourful.”
Sadly, neither he nor a litany of Scottish managers since could quite produce such an avatar of our hopes and dreams on the field of play, but with a brave appointment in the form of the 39-year-old Belgian, the Scottish FA are at least showing they want to give it a go.
Incidentally, any lingering doubts I had over Pocognoli were dispelled when I read Richard Keys’ take on social media, who scoffed that the SFA had ‘followed one ridiculous decision with another’ with their appointment. It is a decent weathervane these days that when the former Sky Sports anchor (not intentional rhyming slang, just for clarity) thinks you have made a misstep, you are probably on the right track.
I’m old enough to remember when Keys possessed a famously hirsute but nevertheless safe pair of hands on the TVAM sofa, but when it comes to insights into Scottish football and what is required to lead the national side, you would be as well asking Anne Diamond for her tuppenceworth.
I don’t doubt, mind you, that there are cynics out there closer to home who see the appointment of Pocognoli as something of a risky move, but frankly, after the caution of the (still hugely successful, in relative terms, let’s not forget) Steve Clarke era, the Tartan Army have been crying out for a fresh, forward-thinking approach.
If you are a regular reader, you will know that as recently as last week, I had major misgivings that the SFA would oblige. There was still a lingering fear that they would plump for a Scottish candidate, despite the absence of one who appeared suitable for the position, and stick with the devil they knew.
With the greatest of respect to then bookies’ favourite Steven Naismith, who is actually only a matter of weeks younger than Pocognoli, I didn’t feel his coaching CV was quite at the level required to take on the Scotland job at this juncture.
Those fears though proved unfounded, and credit has to be given where it is due to the SFA, new chief football officer Craig Mulholland and chief executive Ian Maxwell for what is an imaginative appointment, and one that appears in tune with the wishes of the vast majority of supporters.
Not that the court of public opinion likely had a greater influence on their call than the data they worked through to identify Pocognoli as the man to take this Scotland team forward, but it’s a nice bonus that if it does all go pear-shaped, they can credibly say that they gave the people what they wanted. Let them eat waffle, if you will.
Which reminds me. No doubt there are editors out there brushing off their Philippe Clement-inspired ‘Belgian waffle’ back pages in preparation for Pocognoli’s reign getting off to a shaky start, but I would hope he is given the time and the space to put his own stamp on the Scotland side.
The fans are desperate for Pocognoli to forge a tactical identity that leans more towards imposing our will on the opposition rather than the other way around. To go forward in search of victory, rather than simply fearing defeat. And there is also a clear desire for – and a clear need for, given the ageing status of some squad stalwarts – the introduction of fresh blood.
There is a school of thought that Clarke, as Scotland manager, wrung as much from the players available to him as could reasonably be expected. It’s an argument that has some merit, and certainly at times during his reign, the slightly cliched concept of the ‘club mentality’ he instilled did make the whole more than the sum of the parts.
When Clarke’s teams actually arrived at tournaments though, the opposite was true. I will never be convinced that the level on display at the two European Championships and the World Cup finals to which Clarke led Scotland represented the best we could reasonably expect from the likes of Andy Robertson, John McGinn and Scott McTominay.
Or, that there was no other choice but to stick with the likes of Grant Hanley or Lyndon Dykes in the summer, fine servants as they have been, because there were no other options. Loyalty was one of Clarke’s biggest strengths, but blind loyalty, at times, was one of his biggest weaknesses.
Despite what another summer of navel-gazing inspired by poor European results for a couple of clubs in transition would have you believe, I would argue that there is young Scottish talent out there who have what it takes to add to this squad, and to make it better.
Inevitably, nonsensical comparisons to the Berti Vogts era will be made, but I am not arguing that Pocognoli starts flinging caps around like confetti in the same manner as the German once did. He has been careful to reference the foundations that have been laid by his predecessor, and that he will be building upon them rather than burning down the house.
It is an exciting and fascinating prospect to see how Pocognoli embellishes that core group, some of whom still have one or perhaps even two more qualifying campaigns left in their legs.
For the Weary Wullies who are worried about where the next generation are coming from, and with a nod to Adam Lovatt on social media where this list caught my eye, there are already a few players aged 25 and under who are in with the bricks, like Aaron Hickey, Billy Gilmour and Ben Gannon-Doak, while Nathan Patterson showed up well at the World Cup despite a lack of game-time at Everton.
Findlay Curtis continues to impress at Rangers, too, while Max Johnston, Josh Doig, Lennon Miller, Connor Barron and James Wilson have been in squads previously.
What about the problem areas, particularly up top and in central defence? Well, Robbie Ure has just signed for Sevilla for a deal worth up to €9m, while Kieron Bowie has joined Sassuolo in Serie A on loan, with a €10m option to buy that becomes an obligation if specified conditions are met.
At the back, Luke Graham is now in the Championship with Stoke City, while Luis Binks, the Brøndby captain and former Tottenham Hotspur, Bologna and Coventry defender, told me last week he would love a Scotland call-up.
Behind those, you have the likes of Tyler Fletcher (and perhaps his brother Jack, too, if he can be nudged in the right direction), Josh Mulligan and Barney Stewart. Not all of them are at the point where they merit a call-up or would necessarily improve the side just yet, but this is a list that illustrates the medium-term future might not be as bleak as many people fear.
With Pocognoli at the helm, it would be great to see more of them given a chance to shine.
This appears to be a bold, progressive appointment from the SFA. Let’s hope the team that Pocognoli puts out in next month’s Nations League fixtures reflects that, and as ol' Andy once said, what we long to be as a nation.
