I dare say Brian McClair has a fairly lengthy to-do list.
As the SFA’s newly-appointed performance director said on his first day in the job a couple of weeks ago: “I’ll have plenty to occupy myself with.”
McClair probably didn’t think summoning his under-19 coach into his office to berate him would be one of them.
But that’s exactly what should be happening with Ricky Sbragia.
The message that Sbragia has put out with his latest squad selection, or rather his justification of the omission of one particular player, is appalling.
Every coach has a right to pick the footballers he feels are the best available to him.
In itself, the decision to leave Real Madrid’s (yes, Real Madrid’s) Jack Harper out of his squad for the Uefa Elite League, is perfectly justifiable.
But the explanation of it is breathtaking, and casts doubt over Sbragia’s suitability for his role and the over-arching SFA ethos of youth development.
This is what the former Sunderland manager had to say: “At Real Madrid, Jack can float all over the place, which he does. But with us he has to be more disciplined.
“He’s an exceptionally gifted lad but we can’t carry him. He can be a luxury sometimes.
“In some cases, if it’s going well, he can be a good luxury. And listen, Jack’s time will come.
“I’ve gone for a physical side and runners. Hopefully I’m proved right in Austria. It’s purely a tactical decision.”
It might just be for one set of matches, but for any age-group coach to publicly admit that he favoured physical strength and running ability over technical prowess is as depressing and out-dated as it is misguided.
Ryan Gauld could have been lost to the game if Dundee United had adopted that approach.
The inference has been taken from Sbragia’s selection and, more so, his comments that he has put results above player development.
That is the cardinal sin for a youth coach, and I would have thought that even in a country like Scotland where we have been playing catch-up, the penny would have dropped.
If Sbragia or any other coach with an SFA tracksuit doesn’t grasp that then he isn’t fit for his post.
And McClair needs to ram that message home without delay.
If Harper is as good as many believe he is, let’s hope he hasn’t already made up his mind that a country that thinks his style of play can be a luxury isn’t the one for him.