ALLY McCoist claims Scottish football needs to use the experience of former Scotland managers like Sir Alex Ferguson and Walter Smith to help produce players who can lead them out of the international wilderness.
The former Scotland striker and assistant manager believes a myriad of obstacles are preventing young players reaching their potential.
Scotland’s 3-0 defeat by England, which left them fifth in their World Cup qualifying group, has sparked a debate that goes beyond the future of manager Gordon Strachan.
McCoist thinks there is no benefit in changing the national team boss in the wake of “arguably their best performance of the campaign for 60 minutes”.
But he does argue that more fundamental change is needed despite the Scottish Football Association’s recent attempts to implement a performance strategy to improve the prospects of young players.
“we are not producing anything like the level of the youngster that we once did,” said the former Rangers manager, who was opening a new £1.5 million clubhouse at Torrance Park Golf Club in Motherwell.
“But we haven’t qualified for 18 years so this is a problem that has not come overnight. There’s a number of reasons for that. If I had the absolute answer I would be telling you it, but it’s a combination of things.
“It comes down to clubs, the SFA, the youngsters themselves, parents, boys clubs, coaches, and we definitely need a revamp of the whole situation. There’s a million things.
“There has to be change and there’s a lot of people culpable, but I do believe everyone has the best interests of our country at heart in terms of producing youngsters again.
“We have to sit round a table and get those in the know, and by that I mean people like Alex Ferguson and Walter Smith, and come up with a plan.”
Former Rangers boss Smith said: “I think Gordon should stick it out at least until the end of the qualifying campaign.”
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