Mark Wotte: Scottish FA needs to be more open to other ideas

Scottish football should rid themselves of conservatism and stubbornness and appoint a foreign manager, says former performance director Mark Wotte.

Former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson on Thursday denied reports that he had applied to replace Alex McLeish.

But Dutchman Wotte, who spent three years with the Scottish FA from 2011, says a foreign coach “would not hurt”.

“I would recommend a coach that has been around the block in European and world football,” Wotte said.

“If there is an experienced coach with different insights, that’s got to be helpful to qualify for the next rounds. You participate in Europe so you need to have a European standard – not a Scottish standard.

“Belgium are very successful at the moment with a Spanish coach who has experience of coaching in the UK. That’s just an example of a well-respected football country that is not afraid to go foreign.”

Wotte says his experience in Scotland was that the coaching system was split evenly between those who were resistant to change and those who were wed to traditional ideas.

The former Utrecht and Southampton coach, who is now with the Moroccan FA, suggests a more “open-minded” attitude is required to understand the changes in world football over the past decade.

“The coaching system in Scotland was managed by people who were very convinced their way was the best way,” he said.

“I came across many people that were very open-minded to change, but there were also a lot of people that were convinced their way of thinking was the best way. People were being pulled out of their comfort zone and they get afraid for the future.”

‘Gemmill a very important candidate’

Wotte’s former position is now filled by Malky Mackay, who himself has been suggested as a potential new national team coach.

The Dutchman has no qualms about the former Watford and Cardiff City manager switching role, as long as the performance strategy does not suffer.

However, Wotte is more enthused at the prospect of under-21 coach Scot Gemmill stepping up to lead the senior side.

He references Germany coach Joachim Loew moving up from his role as assistant before winning the World Cup, and Gareth Southgate’s impact since ascending to the England job from the under-21 post.

“I met Scot when he was with the under-17s, when we did a very good job reaching the semi-finals of the European Championship in Malta,” Wotte said.

“Those boys are now all now 20/21 years old and have advanced to first-team football. So it would be a logical step to consider.

“Scot has a lot of qualities because he played for Scotland and in the English Premier League and he’s been part of the set-up for five or six years, so I would consider him as a very important candidate.”

Content provided by the BBC. Original piece can be found here https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48052136