Berti Vogts's unhappy reign as Scotland's manager is set to end next week with the Scottish Football Association (SFA) expected to hold an emergency board meeting to smooth his imminent departure.
Vogts returned to his native Germany yesterday but will hold talks with the SFA's chief executive, David Taylor, and the president, John McBeth, after the board of directors has met. The 11-man body is keen to avoid a knee-jerk reaction, though the fate of Scotland's first foreign manager was effectively sealed by his side's failure to win in Moldova on Wednesday.
The 1-1 draw left them with two points from their first three World Cup qualifying games, which has all but ruled them out of reaching the finals already. Failure to qualify will cost the SFA an estimated £9 million in lost revenues though, with the manager unwilling to resign, they still have the resources to meet a compensation figure for the remaining 20 months of Vogts's £500,000-a-year contract.
That recompense is likely to be in the region of a year's salary, with the German having already agreed he would leave prematurely should it have become mathematically impossible for Scotland to qualify.
"We will review our options regarding the situation," said Taylor, who confirmed the SFA's next board meeting is likely to be brought forward from its scheduled date of November 4th. "It's not up to me to call the meeting but obviously there were other board members on the trip to Moldova and everyone has their own point of view, although they haven't approached me directly yet," added the chief executive.
Vogts was subjected to furious chants from the 2,000 travelling supporters in Moldova, many calling for the appointment of Gordon Strachan.
Taylor, instrumental in the German taking up the reins in February 2002, was also verbally abused on his arrival at Chisinau airport before the return flight.
"There's no point trying to shout back or justifying your position, but the only pressure I feel is over the results," added the chief executive. "It's very rare for a chief executive to resign at the same time as a manager. The chief executive has much wider responsibilities. This isn't about me. This is about the management of the team, and the decision lies with the board.
"Berti's competitive record is five wins, four draws and four defeats, but a draw away to Moldova was not what we were looking for."
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