You've Found Your Soul

Nov 11 2007 Gavin Berry

Exclusive Come On Scotland 6 Days To Go Homegrown Bosses Have Put The Passion Back In Scots Game Rino Gattuso

ITALIAN ace Rino Gattuso believes home-grown bosses have put the spirit back into Scottish dressing rooms - and the soul back into our national game.

The Milan midfield star is convinced getting the best Scots coaches in the highest positions has transformed our football fortunes.

Celtic and Rangers have enjoyed memorable European nights this season while victory over Gattuso and his Azzurri team-mates on Saturday would seal a shock spot for Scotland at Euro 2008.

Gattuso reckons that revival is all down to Scots boss Alex McLeish plus rival Old Firm gaffers Walter Smith and Gordon Strachan. And the former Rangers star claims his old club and Scotland would have enjoyed success much sooner by trusting domestic coaching talent.

Both tried to go down the foreign route in recent years and it backfired spectacularly.

Under German legend Berti Vogts, Scotland slipped below Burkina Faso in the FIFA rankings and became a laughing stock. And Frenchman Paul Le Guen slumped from one disaster to another during his short spell in charge at Ibrox.

Smith came to the rescue on both fronts - steadying the ship with Scotland before handing over the reins to McLeish when he replaced Le Guen at Rangers.

Big Eck has since moved Scotland to the brink of the Euro finals in a group that could hardly be tougher.

And at club level Smith has worked wonders in a Champions League section every bit as terrifying. Gers have beaten Lyon and Stuttgart and one more win should seal a last-16 place.

Gattuso also has first-hand experience of the fantastic job Strachan is doing at Parkhead.

The Hoops almost pipped his Milan side to a quarter-final place in Europe last season and have already beaten them in this term's Champions League groups.

The midfielder will try to halt Scotland's rapid rise when Italy come to Hampden seeking the point that will take them to Euro 2008.

However, Rino can't help but admire the way our footballing heroes have turned things around so spectacularly.

This year is the first in a decade that Scots have held our three most powerful managerial positions. Not since Tommy Burns left Parkhead in May 1997 - when Smith was across the city at Gers and Craig Brown in charge of the national team - has that been the case.

Jimmy Calderwood has also done the business with Aberdeen by getting them into the UEFA Cup group stages - and Gattuso reckons that's no coincidence.

Scottish football remains close to his heart after a 15-month spell at Ibrox from 1997. And he spoke exclusively to MailSport from his club's Milanello training ground ahead of Saturday's showdown.

The 29-year-old said: "I can't believe how much better Scottish football is doing.

"They are playing with so much confidence. Not so long ago Scotland were on a downward spiral under Berti Vogts. Now it's so different.

"There is a Scotsman in charge of the national team and the Old Firm clubs. And that's why your game is doing so well.

"You can't underestimate the importance of having a happy dressing-room. Players don't want something they're not used to.

"I remembermy first time in the Ibrox dressing-room and seeing the history of the place.

"Every day we would wear a shirt, tie and jacket. That all came from Walter Smith who knew the history and traditions of the club.

"Ayear later Dick Advocaat tried to change everything. He didn't respect the traditions.

"It's the same at Milan where there's so much history. Can you imagine trying to change all that tomorrow? It's impossible.

"If a British manager tried to change the Italian mentality they would probably fail.

"We have Carlo Ancelotti who played for years at AC. The club is like his family after 20 years as player and manager here.

"It's the same with Scotland. Alex McLeish knows what's needed and so do Walter and Gordon Strachan.

"They are legends in their own right in Scotland so they know what's required to succeed. They have the same mentality.

"Maybe Berti Vogts and Paul Le Guen tried to change too many things which is why they failed. The German and French mentality is not the same as the Scottish one.

"Sometimes you have to change little things but the head is the most important part of a player's body.

"It's impossible if players are angry every day because things are being changed.

"Alex McLeish has the same approach as Walter. He is a good manager and a nice person so it was a pity there were problems at the end of his time at Ibrox.

"Alex won the European Cup Winners' Cup and Super Cup with Aberdeen - that says enough about his experience."

Scotland has been whipped into a frenzy since last month's defeat in Georgia made the clash with Italy a do-or-die showdown.

And Gattuso expects the same in his homeland this week after a hectic run of big games.

He said: "There is huge hype over this game but it is different in Italy because there are somany matches.

"We have more teams in the Champions League and UEFA Cup while there's the league and cup.

"But we have three sports newspapers and it will pick up now. "We had a really hard game at Hampden in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers and drew 1-1.

"The players loved it because the atmosphere was unbelievable.

"France lost twice to Scotland and Celtic beat Milan at Parkhead.

That's enough of a warning. "The atmosphere was a factor at Parkhead and it could have a similar effect at Hampden."

Gattuso has huge respect for the Scotland players and insists McLeish has quality throughout the squad.

He said: "Kenny Miller runs for 90 minutes and has so much energy.

"Lee McCulloch is also a good player while Darren Fletcher, Scott Brown and Paul Hartley are all different class.

"But Barry Ferguson is Scotland's best player at the moment. Wewon't underestimate them."

Gattuso's wife Monica is a Scot but she will miss the game at Hampden to take care of their new baby Francesco in Milan.

But her dad will be in the stand and Rino admits he doesn't know who his father-in-law will support.

He said: "My in-laws have lived in Glasgow for so long despite being of Italian descent.

"Monica's dad will watch the game in Glasgow and it's 50-50 over who he wants to win.

"He has lived in Glasgow for 45 years and there is a huge amount of loyalty to his adopted home."