SFA close to agreeing personal terms with Burley

8:19pm Wednesday 23rd January 2008

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George Burley's appointment as Scotland manager is set to be rubber-stamped tomorrow.

Scottish Football Association chief executive Gordon Smith has secured terms for Burley's release from Southampton.

The SFA agreed to pay the Coca-Cola Championship club an undisclosed compensation sum for a man Smith revealed "ticked all the boxes" as a candidate.

And Burley's agent Athole Still insisted he could see no reason for personal terms being a stumbling block.

Scottish agent Still sees no other problems on the horizon.

"Quite honestly I don't think so," Still said.

"There's still one or two things to be ironed out in his contract but nothing that I see as being a deal-breaker.

"He's excited at the opportunity to take over his national team and I hope that the final t's can be crossed and i's can be dotted pretty smartly in the next 24 hours."

Smith believes the deal can be wrapped up quickly.

"We do hope so," he admitted. "We would like that to happen and for everything to go smoothly. I don't see why not. We are hoping everything will be tied up tomorrow.

"George ticked all the boxes."

Burley was surprisingly chosen above fellow shortlisted candidates Tommy Burns, Mark McGhee and Graeme Souness. His rivals for the job had been strongly touted for the job, with Burley the dark horse until this week's developments.

"Personally, I would have been comfortable with all four of the candidates," said Smith.

"They all had the assets we were looking for and that was a big factor.

"George came out on top because of certain aspects. I'm sure that the Tartan Army will be behind him and see that we get off to a good start and continue the success we have had."

Talks with Still should continue tomorrow morning, with Friday now the most likely day for Burley to take his bow as Scotland boss at a Hampden Park press conference.

Burley, 51, emerged this week as the preferred candidate of the SFA's interview panel.

The panel, which included chief executive Gordon Smith and president George Peat, had their choice ratified by the SFA board this morning.

The post became vacant when Alex McLeish resigned on November 27 to take charge of Barclays Premier League side Birmingham, ten days after Scottish dreams of Euro 2008 qualification were shattered by Italy.

The SFA - who have faced criticism from some quarters for taking almost two months to find a new boss - are confident Burley has the qualities required of a Scotland manager.

Peat insisted: "We think we've got the right man."

Negotiations with Southampton were swiftly completed and, in Burley, the SFA are confident they have chosen a man of stature who can be a figurehead for the Scottish game.

McLeish impressed with the manner of his management during his ten-month spell in charge of the national team, as did Walter Smith before him, prior to walking out to join Rangers last January.

The SFA will want to ensure that Burley is not tempted away from the Scotland job while still under contract, if results make him a target for club sides.

Burley has spent most of his career, both as player and manager, in English football.

At Ipswich he is a club legend after making 500 appearances for the Tractor Boys and later taking charge as manager from 1994 to 2002, a spell during which Ipswich clinched a fifth-place finish in the Premier League and qualified for the UEFA Cup.

In Europe they memorably beat Inter Milan at Portman Road before their adventure ended with a heavy defeat in the San Siro.

He had a short stint with Hearts in 2005 which ended less than four months after his appointment, even though the Jambos were top of the league at the time of his departure after starting the league season with eight straight wins.

A disagreement with new majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov saw Burley leave Tynecastle suddenly, however he was soon back in management at Southampton.

Burley has also bossed Ayr, Colchester and Derby.

He has been with the Saints since December 2005 but has been unable to take his team into the Barclays Premier League.

They came close last season, losing on penalties to Derby in the Coca-Cola Championship play-off semi-finals.

They currently stand 13th in the Championship and, since the SFA's interest materialised, there has not been a clamour from Southampton supporters calling for Burley to stay.

Burley will be handed the chance to lead Scotland to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Scotland have not qualified for a major tournament since reaching the 1998 World Cup, however they have soared to 14th in the FIFA world rankings after notable results under former bosses Smith and McLeish.

They each scored a victory over 2006 World Cup runners-up France, and the current generation of players are considered the country's best for a decade.

The Scotland job does not pay as well as top club jobs, with the annual salary thought to be between £300,000-£400,000, which is why the SFA could not seriously consider bringing in the pick of the country's coaches.

However that is believed to be a competitive wage in terms of Burley's wages at Southampton.

The likes of Everton's David Moyes, Celtic's Gordon Strachan and Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson - who had a short spell in charge in the mid 1980s - would have been unrealistic targets.

In a statement, Southampton confirmed they had "reluctantly" given Burley the go-ahead to take the Scotland job.

Southampton chairman Leon Crouch explained: "George has done a terrific job here and we are all very sad to see him go.

"We would not have allowed him to talk to anyone other than Scotland and I don't think he would have left us for anyone else.

"It is a huge honour for anyone to take charge of their national side and we could not stand in his way.

"We thank him for all his hard work here and wish him all the best. I am sure he will do well for them."