Scotland: There Is Hope Yet.

There seems to be a huge amount of hand-wringing and wailing amongst the Scottish punditry in the last day or two about how there is just no point in Scotland hiring a new manager. That all is lost, and no decent Scotland team could ever be crafted again. There seems to be an entrenched view that there is not a single decent player in Scotland, and that Scotland is hence consigned to permanent failure from this day forth. I beg to differ, however. It may be because I am an Englishman living in Scotland, and hence have a slight outsider's perspective, but I think there really is the potential to craft a cracking Scotland team.

Scotland needs to look at its strengths and weaknesses, and craft a team from that, not just always bung in the same old faces and failures.

Scotland has an utterly deadly striker at their disposal, Kris Boyd, he needs to be made the fulcrum of the team and be given the opportunity to prove himself as an international-class goalscorer. He has 7 goals in his 15 games for Scotland, and a jaw-dropping 109 goals in 164 games for Rangers. Both of these are stunning top-draw records. Boyd doesn't score fancy goals, he just scores shedloads of goals. If Scotland can pair him with a couple of their bevvy of creative forwards and attacking midfielders, then there will be the scope to score a good number of goals. Derek Riordan, Ross McCormack, Steven Fletcher, James Morrison, Ross Wallace, Chris Burke, George Boyd, James McFadden, Robert Snodgrass and Shaun Maloney all have the ability to jink, twist and turn any defence, and hence create chances aplenty for themselves and Boyd. Two of the aforementioned plus Kris Boyd would make a very creative and prolific fluid forward line. Riordan, Snodgrass, McFadden, Fletcher and McCormack (when in-form) being the best amongst those.

Garry O'Connor, Chris Iwelumo, Kenny Miller all form reasonable back-up to Kris Boyd, but none are of anywhere near the same goalscoring calibre. Leigh Griffiths and Alex MacDonald also look reasonable potential future options, but certainly neither are anywhere near ready yet. Scotland could always employ one of the more creative players as the team's spearhead if Kris Boyd was injured, Steven Fletcher would be well-suited to the role. But Kris Boyd has to be the attacking spearhead.

A forward trio described above would get the goals flowing for Scotland. They then need three hard-working industrious central midfielders in behind them. Darren Fletcher would clearly be the leader of this pack, and the captain of the team. Alongside him you would place two of Scott Brown, Charlie Adam, Nick Montgomery, Kevin McDonald, maybe even Scott Arfield or Ian Black. Those three would be expected to battle and defend, with occasional forays forward to support and create for the front three.

Some of these players that I am advocating may sound a bit out of leftfield: Adam, Burke, Snodgrass, McDonald, McCormack. They only sound leftfield because they moved to England a year or two ago, and Burley has basically ignored them since. They're players who have been turning in cracking performances and earning rave reviews throughout the Premier League, Championship and League One, but have curiously been ignored by Burley. It's almost as if he couldn't be bothered going to games in England, we can only guess.

Scotland should have Craig Gordon or Allan McGregor in goal, with Neil Alexander in if both McGregor and Gordon are injured. They need to stop wasting time on people like Gallacher, Langfield and Marshall. As with all the positions for which I have suggested a selection of options, it's very simple, you go with Fabio Capello's mantra of always picking the players for those agreed positions which are in the best form and fitness.

Defensively, Scotland needs a disciplined flat back four, with no real ambition to raid forward. This is where I agree that there is a lack of options. Scotland have a lot of reasonable defenders playing at a good level, but they all seem to prone to calamitous mistakes. I would pick something like Berra and McManus at centre back, Alan Hutton at right back, and maybe Lee Wallace at left back. Ian Murray, Mark Reynolds, a more disciplined Danny Fox, and Paul Caddis may also form decent options at the back.

Scotland need to hire a manager who can organise a good defence. To have a good defence, you don't necessarily need outstanding individuals. The likes of Stoke City, Dundee United, Northern Ireland and Fulham have all formed rock solid defences with average indiviuals in recent years. That should be the number one priority for the new manager. He also needs to be somebody who can motivate the midfield three to battle, and liberate the front three to create and score goals.

John Hughes, Craig Levein, maybe even Jimmy Calderwood or Billy Stark, are all managers capable of building a solid defence and liberating attacking talent. They are also all affordable. Darren Ferguson hasn't shown an ability to form a good defence. O'Leary and Souness are too out of touch. Billy Davies, Tony Mowbray and Gordon Strachan would be too expensive.

I would probably go for Levein, defensive solidity is his specialism; and he has supreme knowledge of the two main divisions to trawl: the SPL and the Championship.

My team would be (obviously to vary on form and fitness) something along the lines of: Allan McGregor (in form), Alan Hutton (proven talent), Lee Wallace (big potential), Chritophe Berra (solid performer), Steve McManus (a defensive leader, who when disciplined is an excellent centre back), Darren Fletcher (leader of the midfield pack), Kevin McDonald (cracking form), Nick Montgomery (a beast- who edges the out of form Scott Brown and the ever-improving Charlie Adam), James McFadden (always plays well), Derek Riordan (cracking form, but only just edges out Snodgrass) and Kris Boyd to bang the goals in. All crafted by Craig Levein.

Levein.

McGregor (Rangers).

Hutton (Spurs), Wallace (Hearts), Berra (Wolves), McManus (Celtic).

Fletcher (Manchester United), McDonald (Burnley), Montgomery (Sheffield United).

McFadden (Birmingham), Riordan (Hibs).

Boyd (Rangers).

And never let a Caldwell or a Kirk Broadfoot or a Barry Ferguson anywhere near the team.