Vorksprung Dur Technik

SO Henry McLeish's next stop is Germany - you've got to hand it to Scotland's political class, they like to travel. Of course his German advanture will do hee-haw for Scottish football, unless he gets to chat to some former SS and Gestapo men, who will give him advice on how to round up people seen as undesirables. By that I mean the Hampden blazers - getting rid of them might not be a Final one, but it might be a start to finding a solution to our continuing football problems.

Mind you, we tried the German solution before - when we recruited wee Berti Vogts as National Team Manager. Now Berti's rule is seen as having been a failure, an embarrassment, a period to be ashamed of.

Maybe a wee bit of revision is necessary here.

Berti Vogts introduced to international football: Craig Gordon; Graham Alexander, Gary Caldwell, Andy Webster, Stephen Crainey; Darren Fletcher, Lee McCulloch, Stephen Pearson, James McFadden; Garry O'Connor and Kevin Kyle. He also had the faith in Kenny Miller which resurrected his international career after his single honour under Craig Brown.

If fit and available, eight or nine of that lot would have been in Craig Levein's squad in Sweden last week - and now Blackpool are in the English Premiership, don't bet against Crainey being recalled, we are chronically short of left backs.

Vogts also introduced David Marshall to the international arena, Nigel Quashie, who served Scotland well, as did Lee Wilkie before his injury woes. Richard Hughes, another Vogts discovery has been a consistent Premiership performer for many years while injuries and the wrong moves rather than a lack of ability probably side-tracked the likes of Russell Anderson, Jamie Smith and Paul Gallacher, not forgetting the John Kennedy tragedy.

Sure Vogts picked some perceived dumplings - Robbie Stockdale, Warren Cummings, Scott Dobie, Gareth Williams and so on, and Mickey Stewart failed to realise his potential.

But, at the time he was Scotland manager, the SPL was over-loaded with foreign players, can anyone tell me which promising young Scot he ignored?

Vogts was working to the German pattern: pick a young squad, let them develop and accept a few defeats along the way, but, in time they will come through.

That view doesn't fit with the Scottish demand for a winning team - yesterday ; our chronic inability to trust our young players, plus the self-interest of certain clubs, one in particular, who would rather not have their players away on Scotland duty.

Sorry, Henry, going to Germany will solve nothing - until the SFA is ethnically-cleansed.