Sebastien Pocognoli on his impending Scotland centurion, Kieron Bowie and man who 'fought two beasts'
New Scotland head coach reassured by backing of ‘great captain’
There is a lot of talk about asterisks in football at the moment and while the biggest of them might well be reserved for Manchester City, there’s no question one needs to be applied next to the unfortunate Sebastien Pocognoli’s home debut against Switzerland.
“A Mixed Bag of Hampden Bows” was the headline above an article in the match programme detailing the highs and lows experienced by previous Scotland managers on the occasion of their debut match at the national stadium.
There is no need to employ couched language when taking Pocognoli’s first Hampden game in isolation. Tuesday's 3-0 defeat was plainly disastrous. However, plenty of context needs to be applied if and when future such articles chronicle the Belgian’s false start in Glasgow.
It will be no surprise if Pocognoli takes the Steve Clarke approach in relation to a player whose rashness contributed hugely to ruining a huge occasion. Remember Ryan Porteous? Big blond lad. Used to play for Hibs. Bombed out after getting himself sent off in Scotland’s opening match of Euro 2024 against Germany.
Jack Hendry’s red card just 11 minutes in for impeding Dan Ndoye left the Scots without an earthly against their accomplished Swiss opponents. The centre-half is now unavailable for Saturday’s clash against North Macedonia and one wonders if he might continue paying for the injudicious decision to place his hand on Ndoye’s shoulder as the Swiss forward was running clean through. Pocognoli needs players he can trust.
Whether he feels one of them is Hendry remains to be seen. Goalkeeper Angus Gunn is another who did not cover himself in glory on Tuesday and might find his place at risk.
Someone Pocognoli knows he can count on is Andy Robertson. The trip to Skopje is a hugely significant occasion in the annals of Scottish football. For the first time since Kenny Dalglish received a solid silver and gold cap on the Hampden pitch from then West Germany manager Franz Beckenbauer – who was decked out in an unforgettable three-quarter length brown leather jacket – before his 100th appearance in 1986 against Romania, a Scotland player will join the Scottish legend in reaching this landmark figure. Dalglish added a couple more games to the tally before Old Father Time caught up with him. It’s almost guaranteed that Robertson will pass Dalglish’s total of 102 caps. He will probably do so this year.
Pocognoli isn’t yet in a position to reveal what is planned for the Spurs full-back on Saturday. Scotland must strike a right balance between the ceremonial and the knowledge there is a very serious job at hand.
Pocognoli reassured by backing of ‘great captain’
Records are at risk of falling, not all of them desirable. The visitors must score in the Balkan Peninsula to prevent their worst-ever run of games without a goal. Drawing another blank would take the number to five. It isn’t something Pocognoli wants on his watch, even if two matches were under his predecessor. The Belgian is happy to have Robertson as his lieutenant on the pitch amid such trying times. Although they are still getting to know each other, he is reassured he has the backing of the 32-year-old.
“He is a great captain,” said Pocognoli. “From the first day, he has been important for me, as he was for the previous coach. He is really committed about the gaffer and there is a good connection between the coaching staff and the players."
Although the Belgian will lean on Robertson, he needs everybody onside, from the youngest players to the oldest. Having to drag off Kieron Bowie just ten or so minutes into his first start for his country was unfortunate. Hendry’s misstep had so many ramifications. “He understood it,” said Pocognoli, with reference to the frustrated Bowie, who was sacrificed for defender Stephen Welsh. “He was excited to start but he knows it was not a punishment.”
The manager will ask everyone to take some responsibility. As he repeated on several occasions following Tuesday night’s match, the red card shown to Hendry was a collective red card. The defender was left panting in Ndoye’s wake due to mistakes further up the pitch.
“You need all the leaders to reflect realistically what happened on the pitch,” Pocognoli said. “We need to balance emotions when the disappointment is high. That could maybe lead to a bad feeling going to Macedonia, but that is not the case. We need the leaders to maintain the feeling.”
Ideally, Scotland will exert the control they enjoyed in the second half of last Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Slovenia. It was a tantalising glimpse of what might lie ahead under Pocognoli. The Belgian is confident his vision will be realised more tangibly in the coming weeks, months and, preferably, years.
Crinkles still need to be ironed out, including over-eagerness on the part of some players. It is understandable if Oli McBurnie is trying his hardest having been brought back in from the international wilderness. It was notable that when Nico Elvedie tapped in Switzerland’s second goal, McBurnie was the nearest so-called defender. Obviously being a man down meant everyone was trying their hardest to cover gaps. McBurnie will be needed further up field this weekend when he re-engages with what is beginning to resemble a Sisyphean task. Namely scoring his first Scotland goal.
“He did well,” noted Pocognoli. “But he was low on the pitch in defence a lot. He had to cover a lot of work for the midfielders. It was the idea to use him in that context and he did great. But sometimes he was too brave for the press because he was really pressing on both sides.
“The idea in the second half was to just orientate on one side and put some attention on (Manuel) Akanji. But he fought against two beasts and was brave. I think the crowd gave him good applause for that. He wanted to do his best for them.”
There was applause, too, for Pocognoli from compassionate Tartan Army members who stayed until the bitter end. But sympathy isn’t what he wants - or needs.
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