England vs Scotland: Lou Macari believes Scots need inspiring leaders to become successful again

A key member of the Scotland side which recorded one of the most iconic Wembley victories over England has said managers capable of inspiring the next generation of talent are needed if the nation is to recover past glories.

Though a lack of facilities and coaches has been blamed for Scotland’s fall to 42nd in the world rankings and another poor start to the World Cup qualifying campaign, Lou Macari, in the team which won 2-1 at Wembley in 1977, insists there is talent if leaders of the ilk of Jock Stein, Bill Shankly and Sir Alex Ferguson can only be found to nurture it.

“You can’t blame facilities,” Macari said. “We ran through the streets of Glasgow to get to our training grounds when I was playing and the facilities have got bigger and better since them. What a successful Scotland need is desire and commitment; people who are going to drive young players on, give them a kick up the backside and make them into footballers.”

England are firm favourites to beat the Scots at Wembley on Friday night’s qualifier, with most bookies offering 4/11 on a victory. But Scotland attach significance to the pressure that the home side’s interim manager Gareth Southgate is under for a win, to cement his claim on the job full-time.

The drab start to another campaign – a lacklustre 1-1 draw with Lithuania at Hampden Park was swiftly followed by a 3-0 drubbing in Slovakia – has seen Strachan’s selection policy publicly questioned this week. The Macari side which beat England 39 years ago was packed with players from top flight English clubs – in part because there was no foreign competition but also because of top class management, Macari said.

“They didn’t teach to play the game. They guided you,” he reflected. “The talent is still there. Kenny Dalglish would probably say that without Jock Stein’s help he would not have been a footballer and I would, too. I was skinny and frail and [Stein] pushed us and pushed us, morning and afternoon.

“When I came to England I was as strong as any player playing in the division. It was all because of that upbringing. We need more managers like that because the last of them (Ferguson) has just gone.”

England’s Adam Lallana has urged the FA to end uncertainty over the appointment of next England manager so the national team can gain an identity.

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“Your manager represents the team and almost brings the identity of what he wants the team to do, act and play like,” he said. "Over the last year, Liverpool have gradually become what he (Klopp) wants us to be. It doesn't happen overnight. It's down to long hours training, pre-season and three sessions a day - repetitive sessions where he drums in what he wants us to do.

"You need stability. What you don't have at England is the time that you get at club level. You can't prepare for a campaign as you would for a league over the course of the season. It's not possible so it's a different challenge. I'm sure Gareth will want to have that and we are ready to fight for him in the matches.”

Former Scottish international Paul Lambert, now manager at Wolverhampton Wanderers, said that Southgate is under most pressure on Friday. "The pressure is all on England for this one,” he said. "I think it is going to be a lot closer than people think. Scotland versus England at any sport is unpredictable because of the nature of the two countries.”