Graeme Murty: Scotland shouldn't go back to the drawing board but there needs to be a blueprint for international success

It is the natural reaction of many when Scotland falter and the shouts for radical overhaul will reach a crescendo if reality bites and another World Cup dream dies.

It was a time of soul searching in the summer as Gordon Strachan, his players and the Tartan Army watched the action unfold in France from afar as we missed out on another major finals.

Defeat to England on Friday would end the latest qualification campaign and probably bring the curtain down on Strachan’s tenure as he is added to the list of bosses who have tried and failed to end our exile from the international top table.

Graeme Murty made four appearances in Dark Blue under Berti Vogts, Walter Smith and Alex McLeish and returned to his adopted nation earlier this year to join Rangers as Head Development Squad coach.

His aim at Auchenhowie is to produce players capable of starring in Light Blue but those under his tutelage will harbour ambitions of representing their country as well.

Sooner rather than later, the inquest will no doubt begin across Scotland. A national conversation is required, and Murty believes it would be good to talk.

“I think we, as a nation, have to look at ourselves and decide what we want to do,” he told SportTimes.

“Do we want a vast pool of players? If we do, we need to address football at a fundamental level, at primary level, all the way through and put the resource into players.

“If you throw a lot of resource at 19 or 20s age, those age groups will improve. But that could be to the detriment in five years’ time.

“If we are looking at building a sustainable programme for all of our young players, I think we have to look at it root and branch and say ‘you know what, we are going to be really brave’.

“It would be a really brave step to say ‘this is what our programme looks like, this is what we believe in, this is what we are going to do it for’.

“I have said it before, it has to be distinct and bespoke to us. We can’t chose England’s model or Wales’ model.

“We have to go and look at our heritage and what makes us the people that we are, see what will fit for us and be brave about it and go after it wholeheartedly. If we get stuck between measures it won’t be fit for purpose.”

Whether Scotland live to fight another day on the road to Russia, and whether Strachan is still the man at the wheel or not, the requirement for improvement in our game is clear.

Rangers, like many clubs, are putting their faith in their kids and are keen to produce their own first team stars of the future from within their ranks.

The Light Blues have a track record of rearing talent but the strive for improvement will never cease at any level of our game.

Murty said: “I think we have to be honest with ourselves and define success first. If success for our national team is more better players at a higher level then we have to do something, we have to change it.

“It is not stripping it back to basics, because that is a term that is mooted too often. We have to be clear and concise and plan.

“Be open with the plan and say ‘this is what we are going to do’. Put the road map in place and then try and follow it.

“When you get a problem, go and deal with it and then get back onto the map to take us forward in a planned and considered manner.”

Despite the years of failure by the national side, the expectation levels amongst those on the park, in the dugout and in the stands has not diminished over time.

The ultimate goal remains unchanged, even if the men tasked with getting us there are not of the same calibre as many of their predecessors.

There is no superstar in Strachan’s squad that can lead the way and seemingly singlehandedly inspire his nation to success.

The focus, therefore, at club and international level, must be on improving the collective so that the component parts combine to form a well-oiled international machine.

Murty said: “Can Wales produce another Bale? Can Portugal produce another Ronaldo? Or are they just freaks of nature?

“If you are going to pin your hopes on one freak player then I think it is an unsustainable model.

“If you are trying to make all players be more technical and physical, I think that is a very laudable aim. If you put the support structure and network in place you will give those individual players a greater chance to flourish.

“What you can’t do is pin all of your hopes on a once in a generation player. I would much prefer to have a sustainable model in place that generates a higher quality of player through all levels of Scottish football.

“I would suggest that we have to support grassroots better so that players coming into the Elite Academies are of a higher standard.

“If that happens, hopefully we can increase our output and then going into the leagues will be a higher calibre of player and Scottish football will be something that is moving forward.”

Throughout every debate about the future of our national game, the subject of facilities is always one of the main points that is raised.

Murty puts his Light Blue kids through their paces the Gers’ Auchenhowie headquarters on a daily basis as the next generation of stars are given the stage upon which to shine.

Not every club has the resources to run an Academy structure like Rangers’ multi-million pound complex and not every youngster has the chance to train at a state-of-the art facility.

And Murty believes increased investment in infrastructure across the country would have benefits beyond the action on the park.

Murty said: “Every sports professional wants to increase the resource for their sport.

“I would suggest that sport and physical health culturally needs to be supported by the Government.

“We need to give our young people better resources, better facilities and more help to increase their health.

“If that means that there are more facilities that football can then use as well then that is only to the benefit of the nation.

“When we improve that cultural aspect of exercise, then we can start to be bespoke to sport. Every sport wants more resource but there is a finite pot.

“If we start to resource our young generation with more and better facilities, football is not the only one that will get a benefit. Other sports, and lifestyle and health across the board will hopefully improve as well.”

* A group of Rangers supporters were invited to the Training Centre recently as one of the many benefits of being part of the Rangers Youth Development Company Youth Members Club.

Each of the members were taken to Auchenhowie where they received a special guided tour, were able to watch youth training, before taking part in an exclusive Q&A with youth boss Graeme Murty and player Ross McCrorie.

Fans can continue to back the Rangers Youth Development Company in a variety of ways – full details on Rangers Lotto, Rising Stars, Scratchcards, Stadium Bricks and the Youth Members Club (which costs just £25 a year) can be found at www.rydc.co.uk, by emailing rydc@rangers.co.uk or calling 0141 427 4914.