George Peat eager for national team to hit ground running

Published on Wednesday 1 September 2010 20:48

SCOTTISH Football Association president George Peat is hopeful of a successful start to the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign when Scotland play Lithuania in Kaunas tomorrow.

"Lithuania isn't the easiest of first stops," said the president ahead of Scotland's first match in the new European Championship qualifying campaign. "But I certainly hope we do well there and I think we will. Team spirit is improving under Craig Levein and I am not joining in the chorus of people decrying Scotland and Scottish football.

"Repeated failures have seen people criticising our game unfairly. We keep hearing about the good old days, when we had some of our greatest players - well we failed to qualify then too.

"Yes, we've missed out in recent years, but it's not that long since we were playing World Champions Italy, with a real chance of qualifying for a tournament finals; while we did beat France home and away not all that long ago too.

"We've never been that far away from qualifying and I feel we have a good chance of getting through this present group.

"I said when I took office, I'd like to lead Scotland into another final tournament; I will have stood down by 2012, but, I'd like to leave us at least half-way there before I go."

Whether Peat is ever replaced as president is a matter of conjecture at this stage. Henry McLeish's on-going review of Scottish football is looking at the structure of the game's governing bodies, and McLeish is sure to look at the position of presidency. It became clear when Gordon Smith was SFA chief executive that there was no clarity over who was ultimately in charge at Hampden.

Peat admitted yesterday he had deliberately kept his distance from the McLeish Review - not wishing to be seen to try to influence thinking - and said: "I will look forward with interest to Henry's further conclusions being published".

Peat added that he hopes the review will lead to the implementation of a "pyramid" system in the club game in Scotland, to allow non-league teams a means of entry.

Speaking after the first-round draw for this season's Scottish Cup was made at Beith Juniors' Bellsdale Park, the president said: "I have long been a supporter of a pyramid system being introduced, but one of the stumbling blocks has been a lack of interest in the junior ranks. These are largely true community clubs and I feel the long-established traditions of the junior game, of fierce local rivalries, means that they don't want a change.

"Certainly when you look at the facilities here and at some of the other better junior teams, they could progress and this has been demonstrated by the good performances which junior clubs such as Linlithgow Rose, Irvine Meadow and Pollock have produced since they were welcomed into the Scottish Cup.

"The Scottish Football League is open to 'ventilation' at the bottom of the Third Division, which is welcome."