Get Scotland to a major finals. Steve Clarke was deemed to have a difficult job when he was appointed in 2019. Well, what about Tony Docherty?
The new Under-21 head coach has been tasked with ending 30 years of failure. Scotland’s youngsters have not reached a major tournament since making the last four at the European Championships in 1996 under Tommy Craig.
Of course, qualification is far from the only remit for those in charge of developing Scotland’s elite young talent. Since earlier this month, when they were appointed as part of new football officer Craig Mulholland’s Scottish Football Association shake-up, the responsibility has fallen to Docherty and his assistant, Steven Naismith.
Tony Docherty is in charge of Scotland Under-21s.placeholder image
Tony Docherty is in charge of Scotland Under-21s. | SNS Group
Reaching a major finals remains high on the agenda. As is creating the pathway for players to become full internationals. Docherty, who started his coaching career at the SFA, has already held a summit meeting with all the other new youth coaches - as many as ten have been appointed at various age levels - to impart this important point.
New international manager Sebastien Pocogloni’s preferred style – front foot, playing as high as possible up the pitch – will be the way forward, for everyone. As a former manager in his own right, most successfully with Dundee, Docherty might be expected to recoil slightly at this prescribed way of playing. But he’s on board.
“The A squad and the 21s will be a mirror image but underneath that the principles will be the same right the way through,” he confirmed. “Everybody working in the association - be that Under-15s, 16s - are all working in a uniform way.”
Would it not have been sensible to implement such a uniform structure in the past? “Possibly, but I am not one for looking back,” he said.
He does, though, appreciate the magnitude of the job in hand – and the quality of those who have preceded him.
“It’s not lost on me the honour and the privilege of this role because you look at previous incumbents - men like Craig Brown, Andy Roxburgh, Walter Smith, Alex Smith, Billy Stark and Rainer Bonhof,” he said. “So I’ve got an opportunity to try to make a difference and create a wee bit of a legacy.”
‘We are both hugely competitive animals’
He and Naismith are desperate for major finals to be included in this bequeath. "We're both hugely competitive animals,” said Docherty. “Yes, the priority will always be to promote players to the A squad and for the A squad to be successful. But I think with my background, and Naisy's background, we want to have that (qualifying) mentality as well. It's about developing the individual, it's about developing the team. If you've got a successful team, you've got successful individuals within that and they'll come through.
“It'll kind of work hand in glove. So, it's not an easy answer. But we'll endeavour to do both."
Scotland must beat Azerbaijan at Rugby Park on 30 September and Bulgaria away seven days later and hope the Czech Republic drop points to usurp them in the play-off spots for the European Championship finals in Albania and Serbia next summer. Leaders Portugal are already on course for automatic qualification.
Docherty admitted the young Scots “need a strong wind” to secure a finals berth – the chance may have already gone after winning just three of their first eight games under Scot Gemmill. But the outcome of their next two games is important for seeding purposes and will establish whether the Scots are in pot 3 or pot 4 next time around.
Docherty’s first squad was announced on Wednesday. Just under half of the 27 names are based at English clubs, which suggests not all of Scotland’s fledgling young stars disappear once they head south. “There is talent there,” noted Docherty. “Even on Saturday, I was down watching Blackburn against Millwall. A top Championship game and I'm watching Kristi Montgomery and Daniel Kelly playing for their respective teams.”
Tyler Fletcher didn’t head south of course – he was always there due to his former Scotland skipper father Darren’s day job in midfield for Manchester United. While twin brother Jack appears destined to play for England, one of the last significant acts of Steve Clarke’s tenure before he resigned as Scotland manager was promoting Tyler to the World Cup squad to the surprise of nearly everyone.
Although he didn’t play, Docherty reports the 19-year-old Manchester United midfielder “absolutely loved it”. He visited Fletcher recently to gauge his thoughts on returning to the Under-21s environment. Some might have feared a 'throwing toys out of the pram' scenario, a feeling of ‘I am too good for the Under-21s’. Far from it.
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“He's had such a good grounding from his father,” said Docherty. “I think it speaks volumes about the individual, the fact that it wasn't even a concern that he would do that.” Fletcher, he reports, is all in and willing to adapt to the Pocognoli era and the principles being cascaded through all levels.
“I had the benefit of going down and meeting him,” Docherty explained. "I was down at games last weekend and I got a chance to meet with Tyler and have a chat with him. He's somebody that will still be involved with us.”
Rangers midfielder Kyle Glasgow is at the other end of the spectrum having just been promoted to the Under-21s. Still only 16, he is a poster boy for the success of the SFA’s Cooperation Agreements. Currently on loan at Alloa Athletic, he has scored three times for the League One club. Dochery’s close relationship with Rangers manager Derek McInnes means he is fully up to date with Glasgow’s situation, including the fact he can represent Portugal – and already has – at youth level due to having a Portuguese mother.
“I've spoken to Derek and staff at the club about how well he's doing,” said Docherty. "He's a really talented boy and this is really a reward.”