I DON'T think Craig Levein will be getting his jotters just yet. Even with the SFA's long-established history of getting the big decisions wrong, it is difficult to see them putting a temporary manager in charge of the squad for the forthcoming Luxembourg friendly, after sacking Levein early next week.
That said, they could just as easily sack the boss after we fail to inflict the six-goal hammering which we feel is our right when it comes to us taking-on one of European football's traditional whipping boys.
And in any case, as this blog has frequently pointed-out, we could ask SAF to leave Manchester United and become Scotland boss tomorrow, and, even if he did, we still would not qualify for the next World Cup and are unlikely to qualify for any big tournaments ever again, until there is a sea change in the entire culture of Scottish football.
We don't need a new coach - we need a total clear-out of the Hampden blazers and a few years of real progress, before we go anywhere other than down the stank.
SPEAKING of under-performing teams; while there was no real surprise at Inverness Caledonian Thistle beating Rangers in midweek - whatever else you might say about big Tel and wee Mo, they know how to organise a team - one expected a closer game.
Received wisdom has it that you first build the spine of your team - goalkeeper, central defender, central midfielder and main striker. Get these four positions right and the rest are add-ons.
Mr McCoist has a good goalkeeper in the experienced and under-rated Neil Alexander; in SFL3, Ian Black ought to be able to run central midfield - although, when the opposition steps up to SPL-class, he clearly needs more help than he got in midweek; up front he has options, players such as Lee McCulloch, Andy Little, Dean Shiels, Kevin Kyle (when fit) and Francisco Sandaza will all get goals in domestic matches.
The huge, gaping black hole in McCoist's squad is in central defence. Given time, Ross Perry and Darren Cole will, hopefully, come through. Right now, however, they need beside them a big, mean, dare one say it dirty, Rangers centre half. Unfortunately, by buying the Brazilian Emilson Cribari (Orange Scheidt - as one of my Celtic-supporting friends calls him), McCoist proved that as a striker, he has scant knowledge of what it takes to make a central defender.
He cannot buy an emergency replacement, but must make-do with what he has. Dare I suggest it, but, moving either McCulloch or Kyle back into central defence might tide him and his team over until the younger players mature, or they can again buy - whichever comes first.
Mind you, now that the old Rangers are finally in liquidation, and BDO is finally in situ to uphold the interests of HMRC - and just how many more "any day now" deadlines will pass before the BTC is settled? At 65, I'd like to think I can hang around lone enough to read the verdict. It might be that Sevco Rangers isn't around too long.
And that's another thing - I've got a mate who is a prison officer at Barlinnie. He's a Rangers supporter who hopes to welcome Craig Whyte to his institution before he retires.
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