Scots to identify new boss soon

The Scottish Football Association have revealed they expect to choose a new national team manager “within 10 days”.

Former Rangers and Everton manager Walter Smith was interviewed by the SFA board yesterday.

But ex-Scotland international Gordon Strachan is also reportedly on the list of candidates, while former Arsenal and Bolton boss Bruce Rioch has expressed his interest.

Celtic head of youth development Tommy Burns, who took charge of the team for the 4-1 friendly defeat by Sweden on Wednesday and was assistant to Berti Vogts, will also be spoken to “as a matter of course”.

But the Scottish governing body are confident a successor to Vogts, who quit after a series of bad results at the start of this month, will be unveiled soon.

An SFA board meeting is scheduled for Hampden Park on December 2 when the candidate deemed most suitable by chief executive David Taylor and SFA office bearers will be put before the 11-man group.

However, SFA vice-president George Peat is confident a name will be decided upon before then.

He said: “I would have thought (an initial decision would be made) within the next 10 days.”

The experience of Smith may be viewed as the way forward for the national team after a poor start to the World Cup qualifying campaign – although Peat also told Sky Sports: “There are other candidates to interview or discuss next week.

“It would be unfair to the other candidates to divulge their identities.”

Under Vogts, Scotland could only earn a goalless draw with Slovenia at Hampden Park in September.

But worse was to come the following month as Norway took all three World Cup qualifying points from Glasgow, before an embarrassing 1-1 draw in Moldova effectively ended Vogts’ reign.

The former World Cup-winner left his position with a snipe at his critics in the media and some sections of the tartan army.

But Smith, 57, is widely respected in Scottish football and would represent a safe and steadying pair of hands at the helm.

He guided Rangers to the record-equalling nine-in-a-row Scottish titles but has been out of work since leaving his temporary position as assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United last summer. He also had an unsuccessful stint before then as manager of Everton.

Football League president John Smith confirmed yesterday’s interview with his namesake had gone ahead.

The SFA official said: “It went very well – as well we could have expected.

“We got the right answers to the questions we asked. We will just have to wait to see how the rest of it develops.

“He is a professional man who has worked at the highest levels.

“I think the decision will be forthcoming in the near future – as quickly as possible obviously.

“There is a board meeting on December 2, and it would be then I would think.”