Hibernian manager John Hughes says that the new Scotland national coach must take a leaf out of the Republic of Ireland’s book. The Irish battled away against France, playing to their strengths and almost earning a place at the 2010 World Cup at Les Bleus expense.
Having seen Scotland perform to similar levels in recent years under Walter Smith and Alex McLeish, Hughes believes that a never-say-die attitude is a must for a nation such as Scotland to have any chance of competing against the world’s best.
“Whoever takes it [the Scotland job], we need to get back to playing with a wearing your heart on your sleeve attitude,” said Hughes. “We have to be hard to beat. Anyone who plays against Scotland needs to know they’ve been in a right game.
“We seen it from the Irish. We have to go down the same track as far as I am concerned. No matter who gets the job, that’s what we have to do.”
Having taken over at Hibs in the summer after guiding Falkirk to the Scottish Cup final, Hughes himself is being viewed as an outside bet to take over from George Burley. But the former Celtic defender insists he isn’t interested, saying he’s already in his dream job.
“In the future certainly, but that’s a good 10 years away for me,” said Hughes. “Right at this moment in time I am in the best job in Scotland. I’ve worked ever so hard to get here and I am enjoying it.
“I think you have to be a certain age to get that job. Saying that, I think there’s a few names getting bandied about like John Collins, who I think is very innovative. He would get the respect of the players having been there and done it.”
The lack of big names in the hat for the job has disappointed some, but Hughes believes the ideal candidate will become available if fans are willing to be patient and back the SFA’s eventual choice. He also feels there are plenty talented Scotland bosses in contention and that the governing body shouldn’t be tempted to go down the route of appointing a foreign coach again.
“I see it as a massive job. It’s certainly got a noose around its neck because the expectations are too high. That goes with the Tartan Army. We are one of the best supported nations in the world, but with that vast support comes expectation.
“I just think it is a matter of taking our time and getting it right. No matter what we do, we have to get behind the guy. We have to start playing with a real passion and a desire. We might not win every game, but every one we play against will know they have been in a football match.
“I think it’s a Scotsman’s job, definitely. We’ve tried that before with Berti [Vogts] and it didn’t quite work for us. I think there’s lots of good managers in Scotland, it’s just attracting them to the job.”
