Stephen Halliday : Impassioned plea to build a better future hits the right notes

GIVEN the venue, it was more John Gordon Sinclair than Martin Luther King. But as Henry McLeish uttered the phrase "I have a dream" at Hampden yesterday, there could be little doubt he genuinely cares for the future of Scottish football.

If McLeish had been on the election hustings rather than inside the auditorium of the National Stadium, the strength and conviction of his rhetoric would certainly have been a vote winner. Even the most world weary and instinctively cynical of football correspondents were moved to agree that McLeish's performance was both impassioned and impressive as he delivered the long awaited opening strand of his three-part Review of Scottish Football.

True, the former First Minister and East Fife player was faced with the equivalent of an open goal in persuading the media of the many ills currently afflicting the game in this country. Forcing through the changes he recommends will be less straightforward, despite the initial encouragement he says he has received from the SFA.

"Scottish football has a lot of memories, but they are fading," said McLeish. "We need dreams. I have a dream Scotland will prosper. It is odds-on it will happen.

"We don't need cynicism and people shaking their heads at this. If your glass is half-empty, then pour a bit more in. This is not a wish-list, it is an ambitious document and I'm optimistic we can make progress with it. If we don't, we will continue to be an average football nation. But this is on offer and with the mood that is around, with positive support from every section of the community, I think we can produce a different future."

McLeish's 74-page document is littered with phrases which underline the despair currently felt by many involved in Scottish football. Facilities are described as "pathetically inadequate" and "an embarrassment". There are "serious weaknesses" in the present approach to youth development. Scottish football is "under-performing, under-achieving and under-funded".

Those comments and conclusions were collated from a total of 63 meetings and interviews McLeish undertook after his review was commissioned by SFA president George Peat in February last year. Among the opinions canvassed were those of several SPL and SFL clubs, executives of the SFA, SPL and SFL, Scottish government ministers and supporters' representatives. McLeish also visited the Dutch FA and Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon. The outcome is 53 recommendations aimed at revolutionising the game at grass roots and youth level in Scotland. While the calls for a performance director and a 500million investment in facilities grab the headlines, there are several others which catch the eye.

McLeish backs the adoption of summer football at youth level and the creation of 20 Schools of Football. The latter innovation has already been put in place at Graeme High School in Falkirk and the scheme has the support of Scotland's Education Minister Mike Russell.

"That could be done quickly," said McLeish. "This is one of the premier recommendations, because it is hard, practical and will be in the communities. The SFA want to move on it and I know the government are also very keen.

"The key to this is that often far too many young people are taken on board by clubs. This solution means you keep them in education while linking it to a football academy. It is a great idea and I'm delighted the SFA have embraced it completely."

The SFA does not escape criticism in the review, McLeish observing that it requires to show greater coherence and direction. But while he also calls upon it to work more closely with the SPL and SFL, McLeish does not agree with those who believe Scottish football would be better served by one amalgamated administration on Hampden's sixth floor.

"That is a superficially attractive idea," he said. "I'm not sure it would be of any benefit. The SPL and SFL are already represented on the SFA's board of directors."

McLeish hopes to be in a position to unveil the second part of his review before the end of the year. The publication of part one came at the end of a week which began with the unexpected resignation of Gordon Smith as SFA chief executive. Smith's departure was partly prompted by his frustration at the slow pace of change within the organisation. McLeish says he was unaware of any issues Smith may have had.

"Gordon was involved and I kept him abreast of what was happening," said McLeish. "He had no problems with the report. Indeed, many of the ideas that are in the report are from the sixth floor at Hampden."

Aside from a curt and emphatic "No" when he was asked if he would be interested in the vacancy left by Smith, McLeish reverted to a politician's well-practiced avoidance of the subject. This was a day when he remained determined to strike a positive note.

"Look at that Champions League match between Inter Milan and Barcelona this week," he said. "When people were on the ball, they'd pirouette, put together 25 passes and flick it through into space. The ball control was amazing. Why shouldn't our young players be developed that way?"

It is to be hoped, however, that the SFA's first performance director does not share the same philosophy as McLeish's first coach when he began his playing career with East Fife.

"No, I wasn't a master of that type of play," he smiled. "I used to like to hit them hard from the back so the right-winger wouldn't come near me again. That was my instruction when I played my first game for East Fife against Queen's Park here at Hampden. At the first throw-in, I was told to stand behind the winger and just melt him. No shirt-pulling, just melt him."

Happily, McLeish's dream of a brighter future for Scottish football envisions are far more beautiful game. Time will tell if, like John Gordon Sinclair before him, he faces a rude awakening.