Versatility key to new man's success
Darryl Broadfoot

Would the real George Burley please stand up?

By ratifying the review panel's recommendation of the 51-year-old manager of Southampton, the Scottish Football Association's 12-strong board have confirmed they are as curious as the rest of the country over this enigmatic, but compelling, Ayrshireman.

His career comprises more hits and misses than a series of Jukebox Jury. His record of achievement from the dug-out includes a coveted manager of the year accolade - earned ahead of Premiership-winning Sir Alex Ferguson and French sophisticate Gerard Houllier, who had only won the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and Worthington Cup.

It also includes an acrimonious departure from Derby County, an infamously short-lived revivalist streak at Heart of Midlothian and, most recently, an undulating spell at Southampton that has typified his years in the manager's raincoat.

Versatility is the bedrock of his success: he is as convincing wearing a tailored suit, polished shoes and carefully cultivated side-parting as he is in his old adidas boots, tracksuit and five o'clock shadow. As a player, he was a wing-back before such haughty positions had even been invented. He could defend stoutly, pass inventively and attack with vigour.

By selecting Burley, the SFA have gone against the populist vote (Mark McGhee), eschewed the common-sense approach (Tommy Burns) and resisted the box-office appointment (Graeme Souness).

In Burley, they have selected a man who has yet to have the defining moment of his career.

A career-threatening cruciate ligament injury, sustained against Shrewsbury Town in January 1981, deprived him of a place in the Ipswich Town side that won the UEFA Cup that season against AZ Alkmaar.

As manager at Portman Road, he endured relegation, won promotion and scaled the heights of fifth place in the Premiership in the space of two years. The descent was just as swift.

Burley joined Ipswich as an apprentice in 1972 and was affectionately known as Baby, owing to his boyishness, and Two-Dinners for his voracious appetite.

He played more than 500 games for Ipswich, who won the FA Cup in 1978 and finished runners-up in the old English first division in successive seasons, 1980/81 and 1981/82.

Terry Butcher has a vivid recollection of Burley's Ipswich debut in 1973. "In his first game he was up against George Best; talk about a baptism of fire," said Butcher, who is godfather to Burley's daughter, Lisa.

"We beat Manchester United 2-1 and Burley was excellent. He was undaunted by facing Best and, to be honest, he was one of the best and most reliable players in the best Ipswich Town team of all time."

Butcher has another memorable anecdote of the man he still regards as a close friend. "He broke my cheekbone during pre-season in Bruges in 1978," he said. "I headed the ball up into the air and followed it all the way back down. I headed it away and the next thing I know is that I have a broken cheekbone.

"I missed the Charity Shield, which was no bad thing looking back, because we were beaten 5-0 by Nottingham Forest."

Burley's diligent approach as a player with Ipswich has been replicated in the management techniques that have culminated in him becoming Scotland manager.

"He was so professional in everything he did, and he still is," said Butcher. "He came through the ranks and I remember he had this loud, high-pitched voice that carried across the pitch, so he was always a good communicator.

"He used to work on one-on-one situations every day, letting the forwards come at him and timing his tackles to perfection."

After the unprecedented highs at Portman Road, Burley's career took a nomadic turn thereafter, as he served Sunderland, Gillingham and Motherwell with varying degrees of success before being appointed player-manager of Ayr United in 1991.

A brief flirtation with life in the lower leagues at Colchester ended on Christmas Eve 1994 and, in a matter of days, Burley returned, to a hero's welcome, to an ailing Ipswich. He was helpless to prevent a parlous situation and relegation was exacerbated by a humiliating 9-0 defeat to Manchester United. Burley would later redeem the situation in the highlight of his managerial career thus far. He took Ipswich from the drudgery of the Championship to fifth place in the Premiership.

His involvement at Hearts remains a source of much intrigue. Under his guidance, they rampaged their way to the top of the Premier League after 10 games, yet he bid farewell after a dozen games in charge.

His vision won over Andy Webster and Paul Hartley, two players eventually signed by the Old Firm but who, for those blissful months at Tynecastle, were convinced something special could be achieved under Burley. Vladimir Romanov had other ideas.

At Southampton, he has suffered from a financially necessitated fire sale and subsequent supporter apathy. One observer of the local scene believes Scotland's interest has been a godsend for a board that had begun to get twitchy with the club mired in mid-table mediocrity after failing to win promotion last season.

Since he emerged from the pack, players past and present have lined up to pay testament to Burley's man-management style, motivational qualities and all-round good guy status. There is nothing out of the ordinary about Burley. He plays the occasional round of golf, listens easily to Rod Stewart, Elton John and Anastacia and partakes of a pint.

There is, too, of course, the unspoken baggage Burley is regularly whispered to have carried around.

The "irreconcilable differences" that prompted a hasty departure from Tynecastle with Hearts top of the league have never been fully explained, nor are they likely to be.

His departure from Derby County, while attributed to an irreparable breakdown in his relationship with the director of football, Murdo Mackay, was also the focus of much tittle-tattle in the Midlands.

At that time, a number of English newspapers reported that Derby were concerned at Burley's social habits, particularly his penchant for a drink or two.

In a recent interview with The Herald, Burley addressed the grapevine chat pointedly when asked if he had any drink-related problems at Pride Park: "No."

He was more expansive when asked if he was offended by the rumour-mongering. "Yeah, of course I was," he said. "There was one article which claimed that the board had asked the players about all that Burley's alleged drinking.

"But there was never any . . . the board never did it. It was totally denied by the board. One journalist actually phoned me to say he was embarrassed by what he was writing, but that he had to. Anyway, it's all past now. What could I do? It was never a thing in the first place."

He will not be the first, or last, manager to enjoy a pint. As one observer noted yesterday, the odd tipple has done Sir Alex no harm at Manchester United and the modern manager simply could not survive if a social pint developed into Brian Clough proportions.

Burley earned 11 caps for Scotland and was a member of the 1982 World Cup squad. He is such a staunch patriot that Butcher is convinced he can continue the groundwork laid by his predecessors.

"He gets the best out of his players, in terms of organisation and confidence," he said. "He was a fierce competitor as a player - I think I have his shirt from the Scotland v England game in 1982 in my loft somewhere - and he is the same as a manager.

"There may be some unfinished business up the road after the way it ended at Hearts, but he does not suffer fools gladly."

Now for the hurly-burly of World Cup qualification . . .

Right man, we hope, but surely wrong job
Hugh MacDonald, Chief Sportswriter

THERE are question marks over George Burley. There would, in fairness, have been question marks over any appointment as the national coach of Scotland.

If Sir Alex Ferguson had declared an interest, there would have been a constituency that screamed he was too old.

However, Burley's credentials are not impeccable. He had two very good seasons as manager of Ipswich Town and 12 thrilling games in charge at Hearts. The rest is, at best, mediocrity. He left Derby County and Hearts after arguments with officials, though most would forgive him his spat with Vladimir Romanov. He is a talented coach with both flaws and ambitions. These characteristics might prompt a premature departure from the post at Hampden.

There is a more important argument, though. It is not whether Scotland has the right man for the job, but whether the SFA have formulated the right job for any man. Burley, at 51, will be in charge of a handful of games a year. He will watch a lot of football. He will be paid more than £1000 a day. The football fan will pick up the bill for time not used properly.

The departure of Alex McLeish to Birmingham City should have produced a period of radical thinking at Hampden. There was an opportunity to use any national coach's time more profitably and to improve the presence and stature of the game in Scotland. This is a national sport that cannot find a sponsor for its cup competition.

A new chief executive in Gordon Smith should have been matched with a new gameplan. The SFA need to lead the way in promoting our national sport. The Scotland coach should, therefore, have been given a role that included setting up a strategy for both recreational and professional football.

The Scottish Executive should have been approached and firmly lobbied on the benefits of introducing a football programme in all primary schools. The money for this should have been deducted from the health budget. With childhood obesity becoming a national scandal, football should have been readily available for all.

This initiative would include coaching for both competitive team sport and for simple, healthy fun. The opportunity for children to play for their schools on a weekly basis, while also enjoying games as part of the curriculum, is one that has been denied a generation of Scots. It should have been brought back with the support of both the government and the football authorities. The national coach, too, should have been placed in charge of setting up a scheme that tracked exceptional performers from an early age. Dutch coaches, for example, bemoan the fact that in dealing with British teenagers they are working with players who are fundamentally, sometimes irreparably, flawed.

The national coach should also have produced a blueprint for how all Scotland teams play. The Dutch and the Germans are educated quickly in how their national teams are set up. This gives their sides a pattern that allows a newcomer to slot in with minimum difficulty. There must be fluidity, of course. There has to be a plan B on a football pitch. But youngsters progressing through national age groups should be made aware of the principles of how the game must be played and how the nation wants that game to be played.

Football would then be structured in a way that promised the best results for the nation and the individual. The player, of whatever standard, would be healthier and coached to maximise both talent and enjoyment. The Scotland team would be the apex of a pyramid of gifted players who would be streamed through age groups.

The benefits for the country would be immense. The strategy would contribute to improving national health. We might get a sponsor for the Scottish Cup. We might even get a better national team.

The ideal candidate for this role would have been Craig Levein. He has the intellect, the drive and the football capabilities to have made a success of such a job.

Back in the real world, I wish Burley well. I hope he proves to be the right man.

I just believe the SFA have persisted in filling the wrong job.