Tom English: Muzzle your bosses if you want to succeed, George

Published on Tuesday 15 September 2009 22:51

GEORGE Burley doesn't strike you as the most politically streetwise manager that ever held office at Hampden, but even his antennae must be twitching this morning. The show of faith, as delivered by Gordon Smith on the steps of the national stadium, was all fine and dandy, but Burley will surely know that what happened yesterday was not so much a long-term commitment rather than a short-term reprieve.

What we know is that Burley will be in charge when Scotland go to Japan next month. And he'll be in charge for the friendlies that the SFA schedules in the year-long build-up to the beginning of the qualifying campaign for Euro 2012. Will he be in charge for the campaign itself? It depends.

You wouldn't say that Burley is now operating on a game-by-game basis, but he has certainly used up all the goodwill in Hampden. He would be best advised to keep up the positive momentum because there is no way on this earth that the SFA is as united behind him as Smith says it is. If he was a cat, Burley would be on his last life now.

The SFA is backing him because they don't think they can get a big beast like a Gordon Strachan or a Walter Smith, and because it is hoping against hope that the performances against Macedonia and the Netherlands were the start of something decent. Also, because it accepted that Burley spent large portions of the World Cup qualifying campaign trying to instil a positive vibe in a dressing room that was previously dominated by an unruly gang of Rangers players – Barry Ferguson, Allan McGregor, Kris Boyd and Lee McCulloch.

In short, the SFA feels he deserves another crack at it. And they're right. He does, just about. What he also deserves is some professionalism from his employers. Gordon Smith and George Peat are supposed to support their manager at every turn. Everything they do and say has to be done with this one question in mind: Will this help Burley and his team?

They haven't asked that question of themselves nearly often enough. Ego is a problem with the pair of them. Due to ill-health, Peat wasn't in a position to speak to the press for six months, but when he did, a few days before the Macedonia game, he sparked controversy. His first press conference and he was in the headlines. It was a joke.

And Smith? Are they in some kind of competition to see which of them can make it on the most back pages? For instance, what did Smith think he was going to achieve by announcing the day before Macedonia that he didn't enjoy watching Scotland play any more? What was the point of it? How was that going to help anybody?

Smith made the announcement yesterday that Burley was staying but didn't stick around to answer questions. That was unusual for him. Normally, he would talk for Scotland. He'd stand there until the last battery was drained from the last tape recorder and, usually, he would say something he shouldn't have said.

Yesterday was different for some reason. Maybe he's learned from his previous mistakes. Maybe he knew that some questions would be asked that he didn't particularly want to answer and so he got himself out of there, sharpish.

Was the decision to keep Burley a unanimous one?

Given George Peat's known uncertainties about Burley's management, what was his take on things?

Did Smith and Peat's own performance get talked about? Did Burley mention how he feels that he was undermined by them at times? Do they accept that some of their comments, particularly before the Macedonia match, only succeeded in piling more pressure on top of Burley's head? Did they apologise to him for that?

Whatever the answers to these questions, there is one truth in all of this: Burley survives, but he remains in a vulnerable place. If I could be so bold as to offer him some advice for the future...

1 Stick a muzzle on Smith and Peat.

2 Understand the media better.

3 For Christ sake, don't lose in Japan.

Pedantic fans are going bananas

I'VE OFTEN thought that some of the dialogue among football supporters is unsurpassable for surreal comic value.

It's not that they're trying to be funny, it's that in their myopic way of looking at certain controversies they regularly deliver the kind of weird perspective that wouldn't be out of place in a Monty Python film.

Take the case of Emmanuel Adebayor's now infamous goal celebration against his old club, Arsenal, last Saturday and one online exchange of views.

Man City fan: "Wrong by Ade to taunt the Gooners, but their supporters crossed the line when they threw the bananas."

Arsenal fan: "Bananas are food, right? A man brought a banana to the match so he could eat it at some stage. But he never got the chance because he chucked it at Adebayor instead."

Man City fan: "Don't try and give me any of that s**t. There were several bananas coming from different angles."

Arsenal fan: "How do you know for sure they were bananas?"

Man City fan: "I was there, you muppet. I saw the steward picking up at least two banana skins."

Arsenal fan: "Ah, so somebody had already eaten the bananas, which proves that their purpose was for food and not for racism. I rest my case."

The banana philosophy carried on for pages and pages. They're probably still at it, still arguing about the meaning of the humble banana skin on the turf at Eastlands. I always thought that the Rangers and Celtic fans were unbeatable when it came to one-eyed eccentricity, but they have competition in the Premiership for sure.

Thing of wonder

ARE you a Twit? Sorry, I mean, do you Tweet? I had, until yesterday, completely failed to see the point of Twitter. I have remained steadfast in my opposition. But then a mate emailed me something from Big John Daly's Twitter page and I feel like I'm being sucked in. The Wild Thing tweeted thus: "Thoughts & Prayers for my kitchen mgr coming to wk this morning was shot 3 times in parking lot for an attempted robbery – he should be ok." Daly later added: "Business is great today!" Such compassion for a big man. Twitter: maybe there's some fun to be had after all.