CRAIG BURLEY has a place in Scottish football history for a fact that he is not proud of.
The former midfielder was the last player to score for Scotland in a major Finals, in the 1-1 draw against Norway at the World Cup in France 17 years ago.
The one-time Chelsea and Celtic star is delighted the nation is still in the hunt to be there next summer. But it’s a different story altogether when he looks at our domestic game.
He played for Celtic in season 1997-98 when they stopped Rangers from winning 10-in-a-row. The Scottish game was at fever pitch back then.
Now, however, Burley is so saddened to see the state of the domestic game, he takes next to no interest in it.
Rangers’ financial problems caught up with them in 2012 and led to them having to start over again in the bottom tier of Scottish football.
The domino effect of that has seen Celtic not given a serous test in the title race for the past three years. As a result, some Hoops fans have lost interest and attendances for domestic matches at Parkhead have fallen considerably.
Although he now lives and works in the United States as a soccer analyst on ESPN, Burley, 43, has taken his eye off the ball at events in his home country and he’s not proud to admit it.
He told the Sunday Post: “I’d love nothing better than to be talking about an excellent product, with every stadium in the land packed to capacity and a title race that goes to the wire.
“But I can’t. And I’m not in the business of making things up, or glossing over reality.
“Since I moved to the States a couple of years ago, I’ve not watched an SPFL match from start to finish. I’ve seen highlights of games here and there, but that’s it.
“To be honest, I just can’t watch it and it gives me no pleasure to say that.
“I’ve been unable to get my head around what happened to Rangers. We can talk all day and all night about why it happened, and the information the authorities had.
“But, surely, there had to be a better compromise found for the good of Scottish football.
“Celtic are feeling it, too. I watched a bit of their Champions League game against Malmo last week and hardly knew any of their players.
“I just hope Old Firm games are back next season. That has to be a positive starting point to build from.
“The one thing that has caught my attention is how good a job Derek McInnes is doing at Aberdeen. I wish him well.
“He really has got that club going in the right direction again and long may that continue.”
Career snapshot: Craig BurleyPicture credit: Chris Bacon / PAEarly daysBorn in Ayr, Burley started out with Chelsea, scoring seven goals in 113 appearances.Picture credit: Peter Wilcock / PAHigh HoopsBurley signed for Celtic for £2.5m in July, 1997, which pleased Sheryl and little Luke.Picture credit: SNS GroupSilverwareHe went on to win the League and League Cup with the Hoops.Picture credit: Shaun Botterill / GettySeeing redA change in fortunes and hair colour at the World Cup, sent off against Morocco.Picture credit: Own Humphreys / PALater daysBurleyhad four years at Derby, then two games for Dundee, four for Preston and five for Walsall.Picture credit: SNS Group / Nick Ponty
While highly critical of the game in his homeland, Burley also feels the game in England is in need of a kick up the backside.
Sure, the hundreds of millions every club has its disposal keeps everybody interested but he is adamant the fans are being short-changed.
He has been surprised at the poor start made by former club Chelsea, and has urged Jose Mourinho to ditch the histrionics and concentrate on putting a winning team out on the park.
Burley stressed: “The standard in England last season was pretty average. Over here we cover the English Premier League, Bundesliga and La Liga. The EPL was coming up short and the results of the four
English teams in the Champions League told its own story.
“So they have to all perform better. Most of them have splashed tens of millions on the likes of Raheem Sterling, Christian Benteke, Pedro, Memphis and Kevin De Bruyne but the players have to produce.
“The spotlight is on all of the top clubs, but particularly on Chelsea. People say I can be ‘Mr Angry’. But I think Jose Mourinho is THE ‘Mr Angry’ at the moment. He really needs to chill out.
“We then have Arsenal still kidding on when it comes to signings, and I’m not really sure what is going on at Manchester United.
“Manchester City appear to be very steady and they look the club to beat.”
Speaking from his home in Bristol, Connecticut, Burley capped 46 times is happy with life.
The soccer audience in the United States like his straight-talking and he’s been encouraged by their knowledge of the game.
He and his family have integrated well into life over there, but one or two things still have to be sorted.
For example, he will have to sit his driving test next week to get a US licence. He is currently on an international licence and that costs him more than $5,000 insurance per year.
On the back of an eight-hour written exam, he is not looking forward to having to ‘reverse park’ again. But Burley hopes a good result for Scotland against Germany at Hampden tomorrow will put him in a good mood for what lies ahead in the coming days.
He chuckled: “Listen, apart from being the last Scotland player to score in a Finals, I also have another record that is a quiz question.
“I’m the last player to be sent off for Scotland in a major Finals. Remember my red card against Morocco in St Etienne in our final game?
“That’s bad enough. I hope another embarrassing episode isn’t around the corner and I fail my driving test.
“I’d never live that one down.”
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