Giddy with the success of his first significant win Alex McLeish has gone on the warpath against his critics- and exposed his fading memory.
Scotland faced Albania on the back of nine players pulling out of the original squad as well as a clutch of players making themselves unavailable.
James Forrest and Ryan Christie transformed the team after being left out of the sides named for the first two Nations League ties.
At the age of 31 James McAthur announced his international retirement while question marks hang over the futures of Matt Ritchie and Robert Snodgrass.
It’s clear that McLeish doesn’t enjoy the sort of support that Gordon Strachan had with the former Rangers (IL) boss drawing on an example from earlier in his career to claim that there is nothing amiss.
Barry Ferguson made the last of his 45 Scotland appearances in the 3-0 defeat from Holland in March 2009, afterwards he was banned by the SFA after the notorious boozegate session at Loch Lomond.
Factually McLeish managed Ferguson from 2001 to 2006 at Ibrox, minus a 16 month spell at Blackburn, he then signed him for Birmingham City in 2009 after he had played his last match for Scotland.
After Scotland’s win in Albania he was again quizzed about players making themselves unavailable under his leadership.
McLeish replied telling the Daily Record: “Are you starting to say that now, that they don’t want to play for me? Is that the inference?
“I don’t feel that. That’s a disservice to the medical staff if people think that and to the clubs the players are coming from
“There are a couple of guys who have retired.
“Some players have chosen … and it was a great statement from James McArthur and I totally know where he was coming from.
“I had Barry Ferguson back in the day when Barry made the decision to quit the national team because he wanted to prolong his club action as long as possible.
“The players that have pulled out of this double-header are with totally genuine injuries, there is no fabrication whatsoever. We’ve had close contact through the medical people.
“I can’t work it out so it’s best I don’t talk about something I can’t control. I can only control results.”
Barry Ferguson didn’t make the decision to prolong his club career, the SFA ended it for him.
Despite being a regular at Rangers (IL) and Blackburn from 1998 to 2009 Ferguson averaged less than five international appearances per season.
