Youthful Pocognoli the brave choice for Scotland job

By

BBC Scotland's main sports writer

He stood connected the gantry astatine Hampden - Sebastien Pocognoli, 39 years young, but with the gnarled look of a erstwhile full-back with 300 games and much nether his belt, 16 years younger than Steve Clarke was erstwhile helium took the occupation astatine the property of 55.

Younger than most, to beryllium fair. Younger, for sure, than immoderate manager who appeared astatine the past World Cup, younger adjacent than Julian Nagelsmann, the past Germany manager, by a week.

The World Cup had 25 managers who were successful their 50s, 11 successful their 60s and 5 successful their 70s. Pocognoli is successful abbreviated pants by comparison.

Look astir the satellite and it's hard to find an planetary manager who is his junior. Singapore, yes. Most different places, no. If the Tartan Army wanted different, past they've got it, with bells on.

Different successful the mode helium wants his squad to play - front-foot, precocious press, precocious intensity, "mastery successful possession" - arsenic opposed to Clarke's style, which leaned into hazard aversion excessively often for the liking of the fans.

All we cognize of Pocognoli comes from a specified 107 elder games arsenic manager of Union Saint-Gilloise and Monaco. He's a rookie and a gamble - but an intriguing one. There's an aerial of enigma and buzz astir this one. A high-wire enactment from the Scottish FA. Who'd person thought it?

Is helium Sebastien oregon Seb oregon Sebba, arsenic immoderate telephone him? "Also Poco," said the caller Scotland caput coach, with fractional a smile. Imagine Clarke saying: "Call maine Stevo oregon Clarkey, if you wish." The differences betwixt the 2 men agelong arsenic agelong arsenic the Hampden pitch, the 1 similarity his employers are banking connected is that helium becomes the serial qualifier Clarke became.

His younker is simply a immense talking point, arsenic is the information he'll beryllium pitting his wits against immoderate precise experienced operators successful the months and years ahead. He has signed an archetypal two-year deal. The erstwhile Everton player, and Pocognoli's erstwhile coaching side-back, Kevin Mirallas is apt to articulation him successful Scotland.

"I similar to bash things successful a antithetic way," said Pocognoli. "I don't judge determination is 1 mode to beryllium the champion successful life. Not lone astir football, but mostly successful life. Did the Scotland situation [reflect] my individuality and personality? I deliberation that, yes, and that's wherefore I was funny to spell done the meetings.

"I'm possibly 1 of the youngest managers for the occupation but I was besides 1 of the youngest managers successful Belgium.

"Everybody was surprised. And astatine the end, it was a blessed end. And past I continued the travel successful Monaco and contiguous I'm here."

Belgium was Union Saint-Gilloise, who usage the aforesaid information analytics institution arsenic Hearts, and the singular communicative of their archetypal league rubric triumph successful 90 years. That was 2024-25 and Pocognoli was successful charge. He was 37 erstwhile helium got the occupation and delivered massively astatine the archetypal clip of asking.

USG had been a process, though. For context, they didn't spell from nobodies to champions successful Pocognoli's 1 play astatine the helm. They'd been knocking connected the doorway for 3 seasons, nether antithetic managers, earlier helium arrived; second, 3rd and 2nd successful the 3 campaigns anterior to his elevation from coaching astatine underage level. In 2023 and 2024 nether antithetic managers they missed retired connected the rubric by a point. Pocognoli was the historical 1 who got them implicit the line.

How did it happen? "Well, it starts with radical who judge successful you, springiness you the accidental to shine," helium explained. USG are a funny case. They person had 4 antithetic managers successful caller seasons and each of them near the nine quickly, poached distant to supposedly bigger things, lone to fail.

Felice Mazzu near USG for Anderlecht, Karel Geraerts went to Schalke and past Reims. Alexander Blessin went to St Pauli. Pocognoli, himself, near for Monaco. All of them were a disappointment. It begs the question and adds to the suspense astir these managers being products of a strategy astatine USG. Can they run successfully extracurricular of that system?

Clarke was the seasoned manager who worked with Ruud Gullit astatine Newcastle, Jose Mourinho astatine Chelsea, Gianfranco Zola astatine West Ham, Kenny Dalglish astatine Liverpool and the omniscient aged caput who managed West Brom for a twelvemonth and Kilmarnock for two.

Pocognoli is the up-and-comer who managed USG to a league rubric and a cupful successful his archetypal play successful management, the culmination of which was a manager of the twelvemonth grant and a tag of 1 of the hottest young things successful the game. He was lured to Monaco but failed, by their standards, and was sacked aft 38 matches. One utmost to the other. A play of glory and a play of angst. He's piled each managerial emotion into 2 campaigns.

How does helium picture himself? "Oh, it's not casual to speech astir myself," helium said. "I'm a passionate person. What I emotion the astir is football. I effort to enactment successful a definite ethical mode successful presumption of communication, loyalty, integrity. I'm rather dynamic also, and effort to bespeak this property connected the pitch."

He paid tribute to Clarke astatine each crook and vowed to physique connected it. "I conscionable privation to bring the adjacent step, conscionable to bring immoderate dynamic moments connected the pitch," helium explained. "Front-foot defending, front-foot attacking and conscionable play with a large heart. Run much than the opponent, make chances, springiness immoderate bully vibes and vigor successful the stadium."

And the things helium won't tolerate? "When you correspond your country, you conscionable expect that your players springiness the caput and the bosom for the state and for the shirt," helium said. "So, that's the basement. Everybody who volition beryllium selected connected the transportation has to play with large integrity. The mentality and the tendency to correspond the state is the astir important."

He has preferred systems but he'll hold and spot connected that front. He has started his owed diligence connected each Scotland subordinate and has spoken to some, but you get the content that his cognition of these guys didn't statesman erstwhile helium got the telephone from Hampden asking astir his availability. He comes crossed arsenic a feline who eats the crippled for breakfast, luncheon and dinner.

"I conscionable privation to play charismatic football," helium replied erstwhile asked astir what strategy helium intends to usage successful the accelerated approaching Nations League.

He talks astir his deficiency of games arsenic a manager. "No, it's not a lot, but each crippled is simply a infinitesimal to learn," was his rationale. "And it is [the case] for each the jobs successful the world. It's the aforesaid for you oregon for each the radical who are starting a job. I'm precise analytical. I'm precise nonsubjective astir what I tin amended daily. I'm precise reflective astir progressing each day.

"Scotland tin beryllium a bully acceptable for maine but I besides privation to bring the adjacent procreation connected the transportation and to make them. It's precise important. What Steve achieved was fantastic due to the fact that helium enactment Scotland backmost connected the map. But I person to proceed this.

"There's antithetic successes. You person the numerical occurrence - winning games. It's the astir important. So, I volition effort to bring this winning mentality and to play each crippled to triumph the mode that I would similar to bash it. You tin besides beryllium palmy with a bully entertaining benignant of play connected the transportation that the supporters tin bask and grin astir aft the game.

"And there's the future, the processing of the young players is besides success. So that's besides precise important. If you deliberation astir Scotland from outside, you'd consecutive distant deliberation astir passion, astir players who conscionable combat together, who tally much than the opponent. And that has to beryllium the base. With the prime that we person - and we person a batch - we privation to bring immoderate violative movements. I similar to beryllium aggressive."

He has six games betwixt precocious September and mid-November and a travel to Slovenia to commencement with. By past we'll cognize what's the astir suitable moniker - the overly-familiar Sebba oregon Poco - oregon thing much stern.

His employers are each successful connected him. Salute their bravery and their ambition - it is, aft all, what everybody wanted.