Peat awaits proof Burley has backing of players

GEORGE Peat, the president of the Scottish Football Association, has thrown fresh doubt over the longevity of George Burley's position as Scotland manager by claiming he is keen to see how the squad reacts in upcoming friendlies before the Euro 2012 campaign begins.

Scotland will play Japan in Yokohama on 10 October and Burley is also hoping to fill the international window on offer in November with another friendly to build on momentum gained in the recent World Cup qualifiers against Macedonia and the Netherlands. Despite reports last week claiming Burley's contract has been extended through till 2012, there is still a break clause in the 300,000-a-year deal, at the end of next summer's World Cup finals, when the SFA can part company with him by paying 150,000.

Burley has argued that he has now won over the dressing-room since the low of 'Boozegate' and the refusal to play for Scotland under the incumbent manager by striker Kris Boyd. But Peat, who along with SFA board members Gordon Smith, the chief executive, Campbell Ogilvie and Alan McRae, backed Burley at a meeting last Monday, is not convinced this is the case.

In an interview at the weekend, Peat said: "George has given the impression that he's got the players behind him. Well, we are hoping, we are hoping, that's the case. The danger with friendlies is that you get call-offs. To me, the players' resolve will be tested, if they turn up for friendlies." Asked if he meant that will show how much the squad backs the manager, Peat replied: "Yes."

Peat also insisted that the decision to bar Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor from the international team for their misdemeanours in the 'Boozegate' row had been Burley's alone and not the SFA's. "It (recalling Ferguson and McGregor] would entirely be up to the incoming manager, if there is another one," said Peat. "We took no part in saying what George would do with these players – these were his decisions."

Asked about the SFA's hesitancy to publicly back Burley following the conclusion of the World Cup qualifying campaign earlier this month, Peat maintained he and his board had undertaken procedures correctly. "Gordon Smith and I agreed: 'Let's not jump to conclusions, let's sit down for a number of days and see.' Then I think we realised, if you leave this much longer, you will get criticised for not making a decision. Well, the decision was made within a week. That's perfectly reasonable."

Ironically, Peat admitted in the same interview that his frankness can be problematic, as had been the case in the run-up to the crucial qualifier against Macedonia. Then, Peat had remarked that qualification would have been simpler had "a certain individual not missed an open goal", a reference to Chris Iwelumo's error against Norway last October, for which the SFA president later apologised.

"I don't particularly want the limelight but if somebody phones up and asks me a question I am perfectly willing to give an answer," said Peat. "The intention was to take the pressure away from George Burley and obviously it didn't work that way. I was trying to put forward the case for him (Burley], why he was under this pressure. That was the reason, although it has backfired."