Romanov forgotten as Burley takes helm

By COLLEEN PATERSON
GEORGE BURLEY today admitted his delight at being confirmed as the new Scotland boss just two years after leaving Hearts.
The 51-year old was officially unveiled as the new national manager at Hampden yesterday, completing a remarkable turnaround in fortunes since his acrimonious departure from Gorgie in October 2005.

Burley left the Jambos less than four months into his tenure as Hearts manager – and just hours before a match – despite the fact that the team were flying high at the top of the SPL and undefeated in the opening ten games of the season.

The former Southampton and Ipswich boss admits that some aspects of his departure from Tynecastle still rankle with him but is now looking to the future, and the World Cup 2010 qualifiers, with Scotland.

He said: "Some things upset me about the way it ended at Hearts but you have to move on.

"There was mud-slinging and I could have got involved but in life I think it's better just to move on. I wanted to get away and move to another job.

"Southampton happened very quickly and I am glad that it did.

"We'll never know if Hearts could have won the title that year, but all I can say is that the players were excellent and a lot of them have gone on to prove that with Scotland.

"It was all a bit unpleasant at the time but when people are spreading rumours about you, the worst thing that you can do is come out shouting your mouth off. It just makes things worse. You get annoyed by those rumours but that's why you move on.

"The people at Southampton have been tremendous to me and they were all disappointed when I left but they realised that I really wanted the Scotland job."

Burley's first task will be to select a team for the friendly against Croatia in March but the real test will be the start of the qualifying campaign for the World Cup and the Scotland boss believes he has a squad capable of booking their place at the finals.

And he believes he has the experience necessary to steer his side to success: "It would mean everything to me to take Scotland to the World Cup," he added.

"That is my focus and I'm going to give it everything. I had 16 years in England so I am fairly experienced. My longest spell was at Ipswich where I was very proud of the players I brought through and our achievements in playing in Europe and finishing fifth (in the Premier League).

"As far as those qualities, working with players, working with teams, I feel I am ready for it.

"I don't think it's daunting but the expectations are huge. The nation expects. What Alex and Walter Smith did was phenomenal. I am looking forward to it."

The country last qualified for the World Cup in 1998 but expectations are high after Alex McLeish took them so close to a place at Euro 2008.

The Scots missed out on a trip to Austria and Switzerland by the skin of their teeth after a stunning campaign which saw them beat France home and away.

With the country riding high on the crest of a wave Burley knows there will be a huge weight on his shoulders, but it is a burden that he is happy to accept responsibility for: "The fans will always have expectations and it is going to be very tough to get through the group but we do have a possibility of qualifying.

"People might expect us to qualify but I don't, I think that we are going to have to work hard to get there but I am looking forward to it. There will be pressure on me but I certainly won't be hiding from it.

"Our aim is to win games and to qualify. I was brought up as a layer to get the ball down and pass it and that has never changed. That's my philosophy, but we have got to win games, international football is very difficult, you have no divine right to win.

"It is about pulling everyone together. Scotland's strength is the passion and commitment to the game and we've got to work with that to make sure that we win games."

Burley beat off competition from Graeme Souness, Ma
rk McGhee and Tommy Burns for the position and admits that even he was taken by surprise by the decision to appoint him. "There were so many outstanding managers mentioned for the position and to be honest I was just honoured to have been given an interview," he said. "But I have worked with a lot of players, I have brought through some of the best young players in the country. Okay I haven't won titles, but at the end of the day, there are only so many clubs in the country who are ever going to be capable of winning a title.

"Maybe some people are going to be surprised by my appointment and people's opinions differ all over the country, you're never going to change that.

"It is not a job where you are coaching every day but you still have to organise, motivate and encourage the players, lift them when they are down, so it is not a million miles away from what I have been used to."

Taken from the Scotsman