Who does everyone want ?

I go for Alex McLeish

Has Watty even left??

Hate to say this but Craig Levien might be in with a shout .
I hope Walter stays till end of euro 2008 if he takes the job at rangers,if he don`t stay i think Tommy Burns,Craig Levien and Alex McLeish will be favourites for the job.

What about an ex-player dream team of Ray Stewart and David Robertson?

they are not getting Dave Baikie,Scotland or the Rangers

I think that the orcs at govan should go for Gavin Murray...

McCoist and Smith should be sent to the gallows for this.

SFA reject Gers' Smith approach

The Scottish Football Association has rejected Rangers' approach for Scotland coach Walter Smith.

Smith and Ally McCoist have been tipped to take over at Ibrox following the departure of Paul Le Guen.

However, after holding talks with Smith at Hampden on Monday, the SFA rebuffed Rangers' move and refused Smith's request to be relieved of his duties.

Smith is contracted until the summer of 2008 and SFA chief executive David Taylor said he wanted him to stay.

Media Conference: SFA chief executive David Taylor

Taylor said Rangers enquired about Smith's availability at the weekend.

Speaking after talks at Hampden, Taylor said: "Following contact from Rangers football club, we held a meeting this morning with Walter Smith.

Walter Smith asked to be relived of his contract as national team manager for Scotland
SFA chief executive
David Taylor

"At this meeting Walter Smith asked to be relieved of his contract as national team manager for Scotland.

"This request has been refused and Rangers have been advised accordingly."

If Smith does take over it would be his second spell at Ibrox, after helping Rangers win nine successive titles before resigning in 1998 and moving to Everton.

Both Smith and McCoist have played a pivotal role in Scotland's stunning start to their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign.

Scotland are the surprise Group B leaders in the Euro 2008 qualifying phase, ahead of world champions Italy and World Cup runners-up France.

It has been suggested that Smith will fill a dual role and continue as Scotland manager until the end of the present European Championship campaign.

"It would be a major disruption to lose Walter and I would be disappointed if it does happen," added Taylor, who revealed that McCoist does not have a contract with the SFA.


606 MYSPORT: DEBATE

IRN

"Walter is the Scotland team manager, and I hope it stays that way," said Taylor.

"He's got a contract for another 18 months and that's the issue here."

Sheffield United assistant manager Stuart McCall could also be part of the new management team that may see McCoist and McCall take the reigns in the long-term.

But, while McCall told BBC Sport he would "crawl over broken glass" to return to Rangers, he also added that "I don't think it will happen".

Ian Durrant took charge of the first team for Sunday's Scottish Cup third round defeat at Dunfermline Athletic.

"If it does happen that Walter comes I will be delighted," said reserve coach Durrant.

Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/6233237.stm

Published: 2007/01/08 14:06:37 GMT

© BBC MMVII

I think Smith has done a good job with Scotland but if he asked to resign is there any good to be had having a manager who doesn't want the position?

Exactly.

He's done a great job but we've always had the potential to do better than the Berti days regardless of who was in charge.

Get McLeish in there. Decent, passionate, former international, Scottish manager. The list of availible or willing managers won't be that long.

Stevie Archibald

George Burley with Joe Jordan as assistant...

I don't think Burley will leave the salary he's on with a big Premiership-to-be club to manage us.

It's a job for an out of work, up-and-coming or lower league manager.

McLeish
Souness
Dalgleish
Archibald

Obvious ones

Please god not Sou(r)ness.

Or Dalglish for that matter.

McLeish would be my choice out of the available few, the SFA aren't going to spend dosh on buying someone out of a contract.

I reckon Jim Jeffries might do a good job, Done not
too bad everywhere else he's been. Possibly even
Souness but can't see him going to a club where he
can't buy the success.

Agree with Igor

It's no good holding on to someone if they don't want to be there. Compensation from Rangers (lots of it) then move on. I like the McLeish idea.

What happens when Smith receives the order of the boot from Ibrox and they want McLeish back?

Disappointed that Smith would put a club before his country, but if his heart's not in it then he has to go.

There's no way he should do both and thankfully the SFA seem to think the same.

Don't know who I fancy for the job. There's not real quality to choose from, but out of those mentioned I'd probably go for McLeish.

I really just hope that Rangers (and Celtic when their turn comes ) get who they deserve. Both have indirectly caused a lot of the problems Scottish football is facing so hell mend them both.
As for Scotland I can't help feeling McLeish,Jeffries etc are just safe options who will not take us any further than we are at the moment. It would be great if there was someone with imagination and flair but I am not sure who that is. McCoist is probably going to bigot land but although he doesn't have the experience I don't think we would have a boring Scottish team.

Not one name sticks out and that is a shame. If Smith wants to go to the Bigots,let him go...and take his fellow bluenoses with him.

As much as I hate the specky wee tadger, I think Craig Levein would do a decent job.

From Ladbrokes...

Please not Tommy Burns.

Tommy Burns 9/4
Alex McLeish 4/1
Craig Levein 5/1
Ally McCoist 8/1
Gary McAllister 12/1
Billy Davies 14/1
Archie Knox 16/1
Jim Jefferies 16/1
Jimmy Calderwood 16/1
Kenny Dalglish 16/1
Bruce Rioch 20/1
Colin Calderwood 20/1
George Burley 20/1
David Moyes 25/1
Graeme Souness 25/1
Craig Brown 33/1
Joe Jordan 33/1
Richard Gough 33/1
George Graham 40/1
Paul Sturrock 40/1
J Duncan 50/1

John Robertson???????

I would like to see Terry Venables take over

They can keep their hands off Colin Calderwood!

Smith has just used Scotland. Was out of a job when asked to take over a side that couldn`t get much worse.Gets a few good results and hopes that a someone comes in for him (hopefully Rangers).
This deal was done weeks ago and Smith was a bit two faced telling Thomson and Brown to honour there contracts, Whats the betting that he will get Murray to put a higher bid in for Brown at least.

OLD FIRM...HATE THEM BOTH!

2 scots assisiting at big clubs.

Steve Clark [chelsea]
Alex Miller [Liverpool

Where is Big Roy Aitken??

I was thinking he'd be a good choice this morning. He left Aston Villa, where he had been caretaker manager after O'Leary was sacked, after Martin O'Neill brought in his own staff. His record at Aberdeen might count against him.

There are quite a few Scottish assistant managers in the Premiership, although that doesn't really make them ideal choices.

I thought the SFA should have gone for Gordon Strachan at the time they picked Smith. I wonder if they regret that now.

Scotland look to appoint McLeish

McLeish won seven trophies during his time at Rangers
Alex McLeish is the man the Scottish Football Association wants to succeed Walter Smith, BBC Scotland understands.
The SFA has drawn up a list of prospective candidates for the Scotland manager's job but chief executive David Taylor declined to reveal any names.

Taylor, who will head a four-man board of selectors, said that it was "a short list" and that their targets would be approached "in the next week or so".

McLeish has been out of football since leaving Rangers in May.

McLeish, who also had spells in charge at Motherwell and Hibernian, has spoken of his desire to continue in club management.

But he has not ruled out the possibility of leading the national side.

At the weekend, he told BBC Radio Five Live: "They have said their target is to appoint another Scottish manager.

"They went down the foreign route before and it didn't work out. I am sure they will bring somebody in who knows the culture and I am pretty sure it will be a Scot.

"It is an honour to be approached for that job, although I can say, hand on heart, I haven't been approached.

"So, at the moment, I am focused on returning to club football, hopefully leaving Scotland and doing something fresh - maybe in England, the Premiership or the Championship.

"Who knows? I can't be too choosy. Or maybe there is a possibility of going abroad."

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Burley or Sturrock would be good appointments

WD
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Jim Jefferies, Gary McAllister, Craig Levein and Joe Jordan are other names that have been linked with Scotland.

But Levein, Jefferies and Jordan are presently in jobs where the SFA would have to pay the kind of compensation that Taylor says he would prefer to avoid.

Jefferies has earned praise for the work he has done with limited resources at Kilmarnock.

Jordan, assistant at Portsmouth, has helped his unfashionable club to the higher end of the English Premiership.

Tommy Burns has already managed to combine being Celtic youth coach with the Scotland assistant's job and is seen as the continuity candidate.

Former Coventry boss McAllister has also been involved in the Scotland camp as a coach and last week declared himself ready for a return to management after time out following the death of his wife.

Dundee United boss Craig Levein told BBC Radio Scotland: "I would never rule myself out of anything as my experience at Leicester showed that things can change very quickly in football.

"When a job comes up, you have to look at it and decide whether it interests you.

"The Scotland job, for anyone Scottish, is a major job. It all depends on the timing."

Meanwhile, the SFA have also announced that they have come to a financial agreement with Rangers following Smith's move to Ibrox.

A settlement has now been ratified and the association say that the matter has now been closed.