Berti must go but what state will the team be in by then?; With World

0 Comments | Sunday Herald, The, Aug 22, 2004 | by Michael Grant

Given that this dreadful leadership and lack of organisation is occurring during a period when the country's pool of international- class players is at an all-time low, no wonder even teams from outwith the world's top 60, such as Wales and Hungary, can run riot.

The SFA has yet to yield to calls for Vogts' removal and the calendar has become his ally. Conventional wisdom has it that managers are not sacked on the eve of major competitions and the Slovenia game is just 17 days away, after the final preparatory friendly in Spain on Friday, September 3.

With every passing day it is becoming theoretically cheaper for the SFA to dismiss Vogts: his (pounds) 350,000-a-year basic salary (it reaches (pounds) 500,000 only if bonuses are paid for qualification) means it would cost (pounds) 700,000 to pay off the remaining two years of his contract, albeit there would be the additional cost of compensating assistant manager Tommy Burns if he was to leave too.

As he repeated last week that he is "not a quitter" there is a growing inevitability about the SFA having to face the consequences of Vogts' inadequacies at some stage during what has the look of a traumatic qualifying campaign. Only the probable impossibility of finding a replacement in time for a week on Wednesday weakens the case for his immediate removal.

The Hungary result was generally referred to as being "embarrassing" but Scotland are beyond that. The most grievous indictment against Vogts is that there have been so many of these humiliations that the SFA and the rest of the country have become desensitised, being apparently willing to tolerate just about anything. In fact the mismanagement of Scotland should prevent anyone getting a decent night's sleep.