72-cap Scotland international warns Sebastien Pocognoli to avoid an old ghost - 'just don’t mention Berti'

The arrival of Sébastien Pocognoli represents an opportunity for Scotland to move forward - but not to forget the lessons of the past.

The 39-year-old Belgian has succeeded Steve Clarke in the Hampden hotseat and begins his tenure against Slovenia in Ljubljana on Saturday in the Nations League with a mandate to preserve the progress of recent years while injecting fresh ideas and giving greater opportunities to the next generation.

Pocognoli is only the second foreign manager to take charge of Scotland, following Berti Vogts, whose turbulent reign from 2002 to 2004 remains an uncomfortable reference point whenever the Scottish Football Association appoint from overseas.

Berti Vogts' reign as Scotland manager was a troubled experiment that failed to live up to the German’s formidable reputation. | PA

Tom Boyd remembers the German's ill-fated stint all too well. He welcomes the prospect of a fresh approach and younger players breaking into the senior squad, but believes the mistakes made under Vogts should not be repeated.

“Yes, I think it's something that we all wanted to see,” Boyd said of the prospect of change. “We wanted more younger boys coming in. As long as it's not the Berti Vogts thing. I think we flung them in and brought players in that weren't good enough to play in that team. It took a wee while to get back into the swing of things.”

Vogts arrived in Glasgow with impeccable credentials, having guided Germany to European Championship success in 1996. His Scotland tenure, however, failed to deliver the expected transformation.

Results were inconsistent, the team struggled to establish an identity and his reign ended after Scotland failed to qualify for Euro 2004. Walter Smith returned to the job in the aftermath, inheriting a side that had endured one of the more difficult periods in the modern history of the national team.

For some Tartan Army supporters, the memory has left a lingering concern around foreign managers. Boyd, who won 72 caps for Scotland, does not share that concern. “The only thing that really matters when it comes to a manager is that he's a good manager,” he declared. “That's all we're looking for.”

Pocognoli inherits a squad that has enjoyed a sustained period of qualification under Clarke, reaching three of the last four major tournaments, including Scotland's first World Cup since 1998. The challenge now is to ensure that regular qualification becomes the foundation for something more ambitious.

Pocognoli has the opportunity to alter the pattern of Scotland's inability to progress beyond the group stage. His arrival has coincided with a number of talented youngsters pushing their way into the senior set-up, while injuries to established internationals have created further openings.

“Are there going to be wholesale changes?” Boyd queried. “I know there's a couple of injuries to established players. That means there's opportunities. That's the key thing here, is for those boys that we're all crying out for. It looks like they're going to get it now with the new manager.”

Boyd admits change should not be confused with revolution. The former Celtic defender belongs to a generation whose Scotland sides were built around organisation, discipline and defensive resilience rather than the expansive football fans now expect to see.

“We want to do that, but more importantly, to get a team that we want to see playing good football,” he admitted. “That's something that, certainly for the years I played, we weren't playing open, expansive football. But we qualified because we could defend well and we'd win games.”

Pocognoli will now be judged on whether he can marry those competitive qualities with a more progressive approach. For all the inevitable comparisons with Vogts, he should be judged on his own work rather than his nationality.

New Scotland Head Coach Sebastien Pocognoli will get his reign underway against Slovenia in the UEFA Nations League this weekend | SNS Group

Boyd is reserving judgement until he sees how the new manager uses the players at his disposal.

“We'll wait and see how it goes,” he commented. “It'll be interesting to see how he wants to play with the new players that come in. I certainly want him to be a good manager. I want him to help our good players and the young boys that come through will hopefully get that chance. Hopefully they'll develop into top international players and end up with their pictures on a wall like Scott McTominay.”

Above all, Boyd wants Scotland to keep qualifying and eventually achieve what has repeatedly eluded them, having rediscovered the habit of reaching major tournaments under Clarke.

“We're all looking forward to it and we want to keep qualifying, as Steve got us doing,” he added. “Hopefully, that next stage of being the first team to qualify out of a group can be achieved.”