0:00:00 > 0:00:02For most of us in this small country,
0:00:02 > 0:00:05football is such a big thing, so much more than a game.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08Rightly or wrongly, it is a way of life,
0:00:08 > 0:00:12and in that life, there is nothing that can elicit so much passion.
0:00:12 > 0:00:17Fans are desperate to see their club and their country succeed.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20There have been times when we have punched well above our weight.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24We've won European trophies and we've played in major finals.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26But the game has changed dramatically,
0:00:26 > 0:00:30and that success that we crave has become even more elusive.
0:00:30 > 0:00:3320 years ago we investigated just what was being done
0:00:33 > 0:00:35to secure our footballing future,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38because we felt then that we had taken our eye off the ball.
0:00:38 > 0:00:43And we were right, because we are no longer qualifying for those finals.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45So once again we are asking,
0:00:45 > 0:00:50just how can we make Scottish football a match for Europe?
0:00:56 > 0:01:0220 years in football is more than a long time. It's an eternity.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05Back in 1992, I first looked at the state of the Scottish game
0:01:05 > 0:01:10in the original A Match for Europe, and although my touch was good,
0:01:10 > 0:01:12and in spite of a credible showing at Euro 92,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15many in the game were concerned.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19That system has been operating now in Scotland for the last 15,
0:01:19 > 0:01:2217 years, where your young players don't get time to practise.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25Then you suffer because the better players do not come through.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28I think the fans and the punters are getting cheated.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31They are not getting the quality which their money deserves.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35We're regarded with some bemusement abroad.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37Nobody laughs at us,
0:01:37 > 0:01:43but I'm sure they really despise the way we go about our business.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46Yet, on the international front,
0:01:46 > 0:01:49the next few years were a big success,
0:01:49 > 0:01:51though we may not have realised it then.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55Agonisingly close to the last eight of Euro 96...
0:01:55 > 0:02:00..and the honour of playing in the opening game of the '98 World Cup.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05COMMENTATOR: And Collins equalises for Scotland! It's 1-1!
0:02:05 > 0:02:09But that's been it for us in terms of international finals.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11A number of managers have tried,
0:02:11 > 0:02:15but failure has been the only constant,
0:02:15 > 0:02:18and Scotland tumbled way down the FIFA rankings.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21I do feel, and it's no disrespect to any era at all,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24but I do feel in this minute in time,
0:02:24 > 0:02:28that we don't have the strength and depth of quality
0:02:28 > 0:02:34that we had when we were qualifying for major tournaments. That's a fact.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37We've got to take a long, hard look at ourselves
0:02:37 > 0:02:39and understand exactly where we are.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43We're coming off the back of 20 or 30 years of inertia
0:02:43 > 0:02:46and inactivity in addressing what is a major issue.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50Scotland is a small country. It's a population of five million.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54The game has gone global in the last 15, 20 years as well,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57so you've got the influx of the African and Asian players.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00They didn't have that in the days of Souness and Dalglish.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03I think we started to believe a lot of our own self-generated publicity
0:03:03 > 0:03:06about how good we were and how good schools were
0:03:06 > 0:03:08and youth associations and clubs were,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11including the SPL clubs, but quite frankly, we weren't.
0:03:11 > 0:03:12But even so,
0:03:12 > 0:03:16there have been some undoubted successes in the European arena.
0:03:16 > 0:03:23COMMENTATOR: Alan Thompson... Larsson! He's done it again!
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Indeed, in the first decade of the new millennium,
0:03:26 > 0:03:30both Celtic and Rangers made it all the way to a European final,
0:03:30 > 0:03:33even if they were ultimately unable to lift the silverware.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37But real success has been rare,
0:03:37 > 0:03:41and recent seasons have been marked by a significant decline
0:03:41 > 0:03:42in our clubs' Euro ranking,
0:03:42 > 0:03:46a direct consequence of some humiliating exits.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50COMMENTATOR: Rangers are on the verge of going out of Europe!
0:03:50 > 0:03:53I don't think that anybody could argue that the standard
0:03:53 > 0:03:58of player at clubs now isn't as good as it was even five years ago.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00You don't need to go back 20 years.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04Five or ten years ago. We're not getting the standards of player.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06In Scottish football we need to be vibrant, we need to be energetic.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09We need to be forward moving, and I think there's been a spell
0:04:09 > 0:04:12that's probably plateaued out and it's not helped anybody,
0:04:12 > 0:04:14but I think it can change.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16For us it's a massive part of what we are.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20At the minute it's dying and struggling.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24We need to try and find a way to get it going again.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28A key issue in all of this is of course money.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30Setanta today confirmed they're unable to stump up
0:04:30 > 0:04:33millions of pounds owed to the SPL.
0:04:33 > 0:04:38The demise of Setanta in 2009 had a massive effect on the Scottish game,
0:04:38 > 0:04:41with millions lost almost overnight.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Since then, many clubs live hand to mouth,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48and in recent months, we've seen two of our biggest clubs
0:04:48 > 0:04:52face a real threat to their existence.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Hearts players have at last been paid their December wages.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Rangers were formally placed into administration today
0:04:58 > 0:05:02after the taxman went to court to speed up the process.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Over a period of 10, 20 years, you've seen that a number of clubs
0:05:05 > 0:05:08have not managed their finances as well as they might've done.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10I think we're seeing improvements,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13but there has been a legacy of that in terms of the levels of debts
0:05:13 > 0:05:15that have been built up by many clubs.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19The standard of football you get, the stand of play you get,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22is about how much money you've got to spend.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25The fact is we're unfairly compared to the financial behemoth
0:05:25 > 0:05:27south of the border.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31The reality is that they are the biggest league in the world.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33When I first came to the club we could compete
0:05:33 > 0:05:36with the Premiership in terms of bringing players in.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38That's gone now.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41It's always been important to the club to bring their own through,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44but I think we're up against it in terms of trying attract players in.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46We're trying to create our own.
0:05:46 > 0:05:51And those off-the-field problems have consequences on the park.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55If you look at the Scottish game,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58too many players need too many touches to control a ball.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01I see now national team players who cannot use their left foot
0:06:01 > 0:06:03cos they're right-footed or can't dribble.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07Those are the basic techniques
0:06:07 > 0:06:10that have to be taught when they are younger.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Certainly when I was a young boy playing football,
0:06:13 > 0:06:16there wasn't a lot of emphasis on technique.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18It was mostly about winning.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22I was with the Scottish team in 1982.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24Andy Roxburgh was director of football in Scotland
0:06:24 > 0:06:28and he did a report saying there were fewer kids coming into the game
0:06:28 > 0:06:30and it was going to be a danger.
0:06:30 > 0:06:31I said, "No, we've got them."
0:06:31 > 0:06:34He said, "But this will happen in the future.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36"We're not getting the kids there."
0:06:36 > 0:06:41When you go into schools and you see the lack of focus on PE,
0:06:41 > 0:06:45the inability to deliver two hours of PE to children...
0:06:45 > 0:06:47I think we're failing children in Scotland.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Clubs are only interested in the short term.
0:06:50 > 0:06:55They're only interested in what TV money they will get tomorrow
0:06:55 > 0:06:57and not the long-term development of our game.
0:06:57 > 0:07:02I would say that probably people like myself have been a bit
0:07:02 > 0:07:07negligent in terms of being more forceful and trying to push through
0:07:07 > 0:07:10what we felt was going to create a problem for the country.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12It is a major problem.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15I think we all look at it the continental way now
0:07:15 > 0:07:18and it is a lot different and it probably is better.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Well, it is better. It's a lot easier on the eye
0:07:21 > 0:07:25and technically they are better. So what do they do?
0:07:26 > 0:07:29So, who should we look to for inspiration?
0:07:29 > 0:07:33Germany, albeit from a larger population base than Scotland,
0:07:33 > 0:07:37have had terrific success rearing young talent in the last few years.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41But that success came only as a result of making some tough choices.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51This is a stadium, the Weserstadion in Bremen,
0:07:51 > 0:07:56the scene of one of German football's humiliations.
0:07:56 > 0:08:01We came here in 1999. Scotland. We beat them 1-0.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03The Germans were thoroughly embarrassed.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07But it was of course the start of a German decline in world football.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10But they very quickly realised the mistakes
0:08:10 > 0:08:13and they took dramatic and drastic action.
0:08:13 > 0:08:19Everyone in Germany said, "Our players are not good enough".
0:08:19 > 0:08:28So the Bundesliga clubs tried to get on the table and talk with the DFB.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30"What can we do?"
0:08:32 > 0:08:37They find some points to make our youth football better,
0:08:37 > 0:08:42and one of them was to build youth academies for our teams,
0:08:42 > 0:08:47for our Bundesliga clubs to work with young players
0:08:47 > 0:08:49to make them to professional players.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Now it's 10, 11 years ago.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Was a hard time, a long time,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00but now you can see at the championships they come,
0:09:00 > 0:09:04very young players with 18, 19 years
0:09:04 > 0:09:08to play in the Bundesliga and internationals. It was a good way.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10The Germans have been standouts
0:09:10 > 0:09:13at the last three major international tournaments,
0:09:13 > 0:09:16with inspirational young stars like Mesut Ozil
0:09:16 > 0:09:19helping them reach the semi-finals of the last two World Cups
0:09:19 > 0:09:21and the final of Euro 2008.
0:09:23 > 0:09:28It was failure in Euro 2000 that kick-started the German revolution.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32Despite financial hardships caused by faltering broadcast deals,
0:09:32 > 0:09:35significant funds were devoted to youth development,
0:09:35 > 0:09:38even at the expense of wages in the Bundesliga.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42This reduced the number of foreigners playing
0:09:42 > 0:09:44in the top division and created opportunities
0:09:44 > 0:09:47for young players to graduate to first teams.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51I think everybody realised that after that European championship.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55Before, some were hesitant, "Oh, we are not so good," and so on,
0:09:55 > 0:09:58and everyone said, "See our national team? We are the best."
0:09:58 > 0:10:03But after that championship, everyone in Germany, newspaper, radio,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06television, the teams and clubs, everyone said,
0:10:06 > 0:10:10"We have to do something and we must do many more."
0:10:10 > 0:10:14Despite not having the resources or population base of some
0:10:14 > 0:10:17of the bigger clubs, Werder Bremen are one of the most successful
0:10:17 > 0:10:19in German history.
0:10:19 > 0:10:24They've won the title four times, and youth supremo Wolter
0:10:24 > 0:10:26helped them to see off Celtic in the 1988 European Cup.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29They key to their success is simple.
0:10:29 > 0:10:34An astonishing 40 teams are linked one way or another to Werder Bremen.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38And right now, 100 players who came through this academy
0:10:38 > 0:10:42are scattered through the Bundesliga and Bundesliga Two.
0:10:42 > 0:10:47I don't know about you, but might there be a lesson for us?
0:10:47 > 0:10:52The reason why it's in Germany much better, every club,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55everyone wants to work together,
0:10:55 > 0:10:59and that's what you must say to Glasgow Rangers and so on.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02They must say, "We want to do it together, FC Aberdeen."
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Then you have a big chance to do it.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09Everyone in Scotland is a football fan and you have to do everything
0:11:09 > 0:11:16to come together, and it's a long way, but we must work together.
0:11:17 > 0:11:22Germany's neighbours, the Netherlands, defeated Scotland on the way to the World Cup final,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25and despite a population of only 15 million,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28the Dutch are consistent overachievers on the world stage.
0:11:30 > 0:11:35Rotterdam - it's wet, it's windswept, but not terribly interesting.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39Not until you look at Feyenoord's Youth Academy.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41This is where they come into their own.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Ajax may have collected more of the accolades over the years,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47but it's in the field of youth development that Feyenoord
0:11:47 > 0:11:50have been setting the pace. And they've done so against
0:11:50 > 0:11:53a backdrop of financial difficulties,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56caused in part by a row with the taxman.
0:11:56 > 0:11:57Sound familiar?
0:11:57 > 0:12:01I think the way we look to football is that,
0:12:01 > 0:12:05especially for the young age, winning is not important.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08You're looking to how he acts on the pitch.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10Is he doing right in passing, control, heading?
0:12:12 > 0:12:14The skills are very good.
0:12:14 > 0:12:20If this is OK, I think he has the best chance
0:12:20 > 0:12:24to develop for a professional.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Feyenoord have a long history of producing top class players,
0:12:27 > 0:12:31and three who started in the last World Cup final for Holland
0:12:31 > 0:12:36were developed here: Kuyt, Van Persie, and the man who did this.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42COMMENTATOR: Van Bronckhorst... Oh what a goal!
0:12:42 > 0:12:43CROWD CHEERS
0:12:43 > 0:12:46At Feyenoord now, the first team,
0:12:46 > 0:12:4880% of our players are from our own systems,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51so I think it's very important for the club.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57We're not able to buy players.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01You have to create your own players, and that's your youth system,
0:13:01 > 0:13:04so the younger players will get a chance quicker to be
0:13:04 > 0:13:07part of the first team squad.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10It's good, because if you have a good youth set-up you have
0:13:10 > 0:13:14your future in your hands, and I think that's important.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18COMMENTATOR: Iniesta snuffed out by van Bronckhorst...
0:13:18 > 0:13:22The mentality of the Dutch to be part of a club,
0:13:22 > 0:13:27if it's football or volleyball or handball,
0:13:27 > 0:13:33it's our philosophy to be able to be part of a club and that's why
0:13:33 > 0:13:38we also have almost everyone in our youth playing football.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Almost exactly 20 years ago, I came here to Ajax
0:13:41 > 0:13:44training complex in Amsterdam.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47At the time, Scottish football wasn't where we wanted it to be.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51We were too far behind the rest of the world and we needed answers.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55Two decades on, the games has changed considerably,
0:13:55 > 0:13:56but some things remain the same.
0:13:56 > 0:14:01Scotland are still struggling, yet the Dutch remain at the very top.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03How have they achieved that?
0:14:03 > 0:14:06They play on the street a lot. That's very important.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10Every young boy wants to be a football player
0:14:10 > 0:14:15and they start at four or five years to play.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17Everybody's here living football.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19We started very young
0:14:19 > 0:14:24and we're training every day on specific things like technique.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27There are a lot of talents in Amsterdam and Holland.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30We've got very good trainers.
0:14:30 > 0:14:36Old players know the game and they practise the technique every day very well.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41For us, the youth academy, we spend a lot of money on it
0:14:41 > 0:14:46because if we want to survive we have to get every time new players.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50For us, the most important thing is technique,
0:14:50 > 0:14:55and I think what I saw in my time at Scotland, they don't care
0:14:55 > 0:15:00much about the technical things, but more the aggressive things.
0:15:00 > 0:15:05"OK. Put your sleeves up and go for it."
0:15:05 > 0:15:08At the end, at the highest level,
0:15:08 > 0:15:12the technical skills will be so important.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14From eight years old,
0:15:14 > 0:15:20we try to get them a good technique and at the end you get the results.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23The Amsterdam Arena, home of Ajax, and very often,
0:15:23 > 0:15:28the Dutch national side. That typifies the close relationship
0:15:28 > 0:15:31between clubs here and the national association,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34something the Dutch say is absolutely vital to their success.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37Is there another lesson there for us?
0:15:37 > 0:15:42The difference in Scotland in the football structure
0:15:42 > 0:15:46is the diversity of the organisation.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50It's unbelievably complicated. We have 20 affiliated associations,
0:15:50 > 0:15:55a lot of leagues and there's no one body, one league system.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58There's no pyramid. Coming from Holland, when there's only one body,
0:15:58 > 0:16:02one association dealing with all the leagues,
0:16:02 > 0:16:04it makes life not easy to change things.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08I see three bodies as probably two too many,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11so getting it from three to two would be an improvement.
0:16:11 > 0:16:17I think there's historic reasons why the SPL broke away from the SFL,
0:16:17 > 0:16:21but there's no reason you can't have a league that covers everybody.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23We've got to work together.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27This is not something that the Scottish FA can achieve on our own.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31We have to do it with every part of the game working together
0:16:31 > 0:16:34on one plan. In the past we've had far too many plans,
0:16:34 > 0:16:38too many agendas, and what we've ended up with is organised chaos.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40What's fundamental
0:16:40 > 0:16:42is the relationships between the governing bodies.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46Whilst they not have always have been as smooth as they could be,
0:16:46 > 0:16:50the relationship that we now have with the SFA gives me confidence.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55The most significant thing, I believe, has been this union
0:16:55 > 0:16:58of the clubs and the SFA. The first time that I can remember
0:16:58 > 0:17:04where the SFA have produced a strategy which has been embraced by the clubs.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08This wind of change sweeping the game gathered pace
0:17:08 > 0:17:13with Henry McLeish's report on the state of Scottish football in 2010.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Highly critical of the structure of the game,
0:17:16 > 0:17:18it called for drastic action.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21I think we'd reached a point of saying to ourselves,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24"We can't continue like this." That was point one.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27The second point was to realise the huge potential which exists,
0:17:27 > 0:17:30and the third point is to take steps to make that actually happen.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34The SFA itself has undergone major structural reform
0:17:34 > 0:17:37and we've also seen the creation of a performance strategy,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40a blueprint for the future of the game,
0:17:40 > 0:17:44which will include the country's first national performance centre.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48We've also seen the appointment of our first performance director,
0:17:48 > 0:17:49Dutchman Mark Wotte,
0:17:49 > 0:17:53the man tasked with improving our international standards.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56At the heart of the new strategy
0:17:56 > 0:17:58are seven performance schools across the country,
0:17:58 > 0:18:02where our best youngsters have their curriculum based around football.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06Craig Levein and Stewart Regan, Alistair Gray, the guys who wrote
0:18:06 > 0:18:12the performance strategy, they had an idea about this, and I've experienced
0:18:12 > 0:18:16in Holland 20 years ago this formula works in Holland.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18And it works well.
0:18:18 > 0:18:2120, 30 years ago, kids were playing in the streets,
0:18:21 > 0:18:22but that's not happening anymore,
0:18:22 > 0:18:25so we have to replace it and try to get at least
0:18:25 > 0:18:297.5, maybe 10 hours a week extra training in, all based on skills
0:18:29 > 0:18:34and technical ability, cos that's one of the biggest issues in Scotland.
0:18:34 > 0:18:39It isn't about developing a team within each of these schools,
0:18:39 > 0:18:41it's about developing individual players, so the programme
0:18:41 > 0:18:46will be designed to help produce better technical players.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49The clubs, a lot of these players will obviously be associated
0:18:49 > 0:18:52with clubs at the same time, and the club's job will be,
0:18:52 > 0:18:55on top of that, to produce a team player.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58We're also turning to fresh ideas.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01Ian Cathro was brought in at Dundee United in his early 20s
0:19:01 > 0:19:04by Craig Levein, despite never having played senior football.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08He was involved in setting up a link between the club
0:19:08 > 0:19:10and St John's High School,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13a programme that's now being adopted by the SFA.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16The way the league game was played in 2011, 2012,
0:19:16 > 0:19:20is different than what it was. Back then we were at major championships.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23In 1998, you can look at statistics of how a game functions
0:19:23 > 0:19:25and how it's played, and it's very different.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29So, the development that goes into players that we hope can prosper,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32and the environment of the elite game, must be different.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34I think by now most of us accept
0:19:34 > 0:19:38that in order to succeed with youth development,
0:19:38 > 0:19:42senior clubs must forge greater and stronger links with schools.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44And this club here, Falkirk,
0:19:44 > 0:19:47were the first to pilot the SFA's scheme.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51And you only have to take one glance at this training session
0:19:51 > 0:19:55to know and see that it's already bearing fruit.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00There's no doubt Scottish football has to invest
0:20:00 > 0:20:06in this kind of thing, and the people who set it up for Falkirk
0:20:06 > 0:20:09seven or eight years ago have great foresight, cos it's the best thing
0:20:09 > 0:20:13Falkirk Football Club have ever done in their whole history.
0:20:13 > 0:20:18Now the club is moving into a very strong financial position
0:20:18 > 0:20:21because of this academy and the long-term strategy.
0:20:21 > 0:20:27And with dwindling crowds, and also the reduction of finance
0:20:27 > 0:20:32in general in the world, the only way clubs like Falkirk
0:20:32 > 0:20:35are to survive is through the development of your own.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38As you begin to progress and see boys getting in the first team
0:20:38 > 0:20:42at very young ages, especially this season
0:20:42 > 0:20:46when there's so many progressing, it obviously becomes clear.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49All the coaching's geared towards playing in the game,
0:20:49 > 0:20:53what you're actually doing in a game, as opposed to getting you
0:20:53 > 0:20:56on a training field, playing 5-a-sides, having a wee pass-about.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59I think everything's geared towards a Saturday.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04Falkirk took a decision to strip back
0:21:04 > 0:21:06and work away with the youngsters.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08Falkirk generated a lot of money in the transfer window,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11and Falkirk will probably get two or three other boys
0:21:11 > 0:21:14that'll generate anything up to a million pounds for them,
0:21:14 > 0:21:15with the youngsters.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18It's not just smaller clubs who recognise
0:21:18 > 0:21:20the importance of such schemes.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23In 2009, Celtic also established a link with a local school
0:21:23 > 0:21:27near their Lennoxtown training complex.
0:21:27 > 0:21:32I think for young players, in this day and age, because of the lack
0:21:32 > 0:21:36of facilities, we have to take football back to the schools.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39What we do is link in with St Ninian's, where the players train
0:21:39 > 0:21:43in the morning, then have a day at school, then come up to Lennoxtown
0:21:43 > 0:21:47in the evening, do their homework, then go training in the evening.
0:21:47 > 0:21:52It's a long day for them, but it's very rewarding, and we've already
0:21:52 > 0:21:56seen the benefits with some of the younger players coming through.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00They get the football training in a structured environment
0:22:00 > 0:22:02and their education on top of that.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Again, some of the kids'll not make it,
0:22:04 > 0:22:06but at least they'll have an education to fall back on.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10In Holland, it's very easy for any young kid to go to a community club
0:22:10 > 0:22:12and sign up when he's five or six,
0:22:12 > 0:22:16and then there's a great facility, youth coaches,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18there's a canteen for the parents,
0:22:18 > 0:22:20it's all part of the football culture.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23When you consider countries like Iceland,
0:22:23 > 0:22:27some of the Eastern European, Balkan countries, Scandinavian countries.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30Smaller than us, they have far superior facilities.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32My challenge to Scotland on that one is to say,
0:22:32 > 0:22:36"We can talk a good game, but if kids are wallowing around
0:22:36 > 0:22:38"in three foot of mud in midwinter,
0:22:38 > 0:22:40"when it's snowing and raining, let's stop pretending."
0:22:40 > 0:22:44This, again, for me, is about not investing money that's wasted.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47You're investing money in kids here,
0:22:47 > 0:22:51and whether these facilities
0:22:51 > 0:22:55are catering to the greater population,
0:22:55 > 0:22:59just for activities, or whether these facilities
0:22:59 > 0:23:03are used for the elite and the top end,
0:23:03 > 0:23:06then the two run side by side.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09The success of the Spanish national side and of Barcelona
0:23:09 > 0:23:14in the last few years has been built on a new 21st-century style of football
0:23:14 > 0:23:17based around possession, control and pressing.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Finally, the long-ball game has become a thing of the past.
0:23:20 > 0:23:26That's the goal! Spain have surely won the World Cup!
0:23:26 > 0:23:29The benchmark at the moment is Spain,
0:23:29 > 0:23:32but you also see Holland, Germany and Brazil.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34The passing game with three midfielders,
0:23:34 > 0:23:37with a lot of movement, with quick, agile players.
0:23:37 > 0:23:43I've not seen any team in the world winning any tournament playing 4-4-2
0:23:43 > 0:23:48with the long ball, and just think you can fight your way into success.
0:23:48 > 0:23:53The philosophy has changed, you know, with the long balls.
0:23:53 > 0:23:59OK, when it's difficult to build from behind, in Scotland,
0:23:59 > 0:24:02it's put them in the channel, for example.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Maybe it's too easy to say,
0:24:04 > 0:24:07but it's how Dutch people look to Scottish football.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10But of course, it can also be a thing of beauty when you know how.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12Thanks, Frank.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15I would think very soon there has to be a definition of the way
0:24:15 > 0:24:18in which Scotland will be at football.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22A national identity of the way we choose to function,
0:24:22 > 0:24:25be it style of play, not necessarily formation, because that has to change
0:24:25 > 0:24:29based on opponent, but a general philosophy of the way we'll be,
0:24:29 > 0:24:33and the way we see ourselves attaining the maximum success.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37The idea is to develop a pattern of play, a style of play,
0:24:37 > 0:24:39that will become the Scottish way of playing.
0:24:39 > 0:24:44That's how the Scottish national teams will play,
0:24:44 > 0:24:47down the under-15s, 16s.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50So they come into the system, they understand the nature
0:24:50 > 0:24:53of the system of play, and then they should progress through
0:24:53 > 0:24:55the age groups, so when they come to the first team,
0:24:55 > 0:24:57they completely understand.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01The game has blossomed in Spain at this moment in time, one,
0:25:01 > 0:25:04because they've really put a lot of resource into their academies,
0:25:04 > 0:25:09but, two, the league's the most tactically-aware league in the world.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12We need to remember that a big part of a player's development
0:25:12 > 0:25:15is not just technically, but tactically.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17I've put people through coaching badges,
0:25:17 > 0:25:22and the way I've done my coach education back home in Belfast
0:25:22 > 0:25:26when I've looked at that, and then I go and watch their teams
0:25:26 > 0:25:29playing, it's totally different to what my teachings were.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33And they revert to type. They have to change. They've got to change.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35The coaches have to change.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38Attendances have declined significantly in recent seasons,
0:25:38 > 0:25:42and hours have been spent debating what can be done to give supporters
0:25:42 > 0:25:46better value for the prices of their tickets.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50I think the league's a big problem, because in a 12-team league,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53you have a situation where a manager can be sitting
0:25:53 > 0:25:57fourth in the league and under no degree of pressure,
0:25:57 > 0:26:00and within five games he can be second bottom of a 12-team league
0:26:00 > 0:26:04and under big pressure, and sometimes what suffers during those times
0:26:04 > 0:26:06of pressure is his philosophy of how the team play.
0:26:06 > 0:26:11It becomes a bit boring playing teams four, five, six times a year.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13Having played in the Championship,
0:26:13 > 0:26:17where you play each team twice, I think that's a great thing.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Home and away, that's it done.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23The argument for a smaller league is purely financial,
0:26:23 > 0:26:29but the financial argument doesn't always stack up with improved quality.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32There was a feeling at my old club that the current system
0:26:32 > 0:26:34was right as it generated more money for the club.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Self-interest is a big thing in the SPL,
0:26:37 > 0:26:41and in the whole of Scotland, but there has to be
0:26:41 > 0:26:45a compromise in there somewhere for what's best for football.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48If you just took a 16-team league, once home, once away,
0:26:48 > 0:26:49our calculations are that,
0:26:49 > 0:26:53broadly, about 20 million of lost revenue would come out of the game.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56That's money the game can't afford to lose.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59So we have to, at the same time as looking at what supporters want,
0:26:59 > 0:27:02we also have to look at the harsh financial reality we face.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06The biggest aspect that is the problem in Scottish football
0:27:06 > 0:27:09at the moment is giving people who want to come to games
0:27:09 > 0:27:12the type of player they want to see.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14I don't think changing leagues
0:27:14 > 0:27:17and changing cosmetic aspects of it will change.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19Football is about footballers.
0:27:19 > 0:27:24Back in 1992, people told us they knew where we were going wrong,
0:27:24 > 0:27:26but that things would get better.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30It's one thing knowing what to do, it's another thing
0:27:30 > 0:27:33having the facilities, funds, personnel to do it.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37Andy Roxburgh was right then, and he's right now.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41We still need those facilities, funds, and personnel.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45But we need more help from our politicians, even though they'll
0:27:45 > 0:27:48tell you they're putting more money than ever before into sport.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51They'll tell you that about health and education,
0:27:51 > 0:27:55but they're broken too, along with our game, as you've just heard.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00Euro 2012 moves a bit further away for Scotland.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02But we know what to do.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05We need to get more kids playing in better facilities
0:28:05 > 0:28:08with a higher standard of football education,
0:28:08 > 0:28:13with the aim of creating responsible adults as well as footballers.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15If Scottish football can achieve that goal,
0:28:15 > 0:28:18it will have served itself and the country well.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21And we won't be back here in 20 years' time
0:28:21 > 0:28:23asking the same questions.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25I'll see you at the World Cup.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27Gemmill.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29Good play by Gemmill. And again!
0:28:31 > 0:28:323-1!
0:28:33 > 0:28:36What's important is that we take small steps,
0:28:36 > 0:28:39and small steps will eventually get you where you want to go.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42The new directives from the SFA are encouraging,
0:28:42 > 0:28:45but that in itself won't get the job done, and I feel
0:28:45 > 0:28:49the clubs need to be getting back to being community clubs.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52There's too much negativity in Scottish football.
0:28:52 > 0:28:56We don't have a divine right to be at the top table in football, we have to earn it.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58With the right people at the SFA,
0:28:58 > 0:29:01the future's looking a lot better than what it was.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03As a part of the product,
0:29:03 > 0:29:06we should do everything we can to promote the product.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10So when journalists and people want to try and bring it down,
0:29:10 > 0:29:13we want to say, "Come on, you've got to help us make it better."
0:29:13 > 0:29:17Football at the top end needs a level of finance that's greater
0:29:17 > 0:29:20than we're able to achieve at the present moment,
0:29:20 > 0:29:25so it may take a good few years of pain yet before we bottom out,
0:29:25 > 0:29:29but hopefully the development of kids can bring a little more optimism.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32This time, we've got clarity, we've got focus,
0:29:32 > 0:29:35and we've got a willingness amongst all the parties to work together.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39For me, that's very exciting, and I think it needs leadership.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43That's what I'm determined to bring to the game along with my colleagues.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45We'll drive that change forward
0:29:45 > 0:29:48and we'll be in a much stronger and better place in 20 years' time.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd