Scotland sack Alex McLeish

The Scots were thumped 3-0 by Kazakhstan in March – leaving them a monumental challenge to qualify from a group containing Belgium and Russia – before labouring to a 2-0 win over San Marino, the lowest team in the FIFA World Rankings.

McLeish, who also managed the national team in 2007, was in charge for 14 months.

“The decision to part company was not an easy one, especially given Alex’s status as a Scotland Hall of Fame member, earning 77 international caps, having played in three World Cups and taken charge of the national team for two spells,” said Scottish FA Chief Executive Ian Maxwell.

“It was only taken after full consideration by the Board and after an honest and respectful conversation between myself and Alex earlier in the week.

“Ultimately, the performances and results as a whole in the past year – and, in particular, the manner of the defeat in Kazakhstan – did not indicate the progress expected with a squad we believe to be capable of achieving more.”

McLeish led Scotland to promotion from League C in the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2018, topping a group containing Israel and Albania.

But the defeat in Kazakhstan, a side ranked 116th in the world, trampled on that progress as McLeish oversaw one of the most abject performances in their history.