Alan Brazil: Moyes’ next stop could be Scotland

WHAT next for Davie Moyes?

That’s the question I’m asking myself after his departure from Sunderland.

I reckon it’s also the question he’s asking himself.

Four years ago, he was on top of the world after signing up to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.

Today he’s out of a job – again – after leading Sunderland into the Championship.

Talk about a fall from grace.

Davie had the biggest job in English football and fell short.

Then he went abroad and failed.

Then he took another mis-step with Sunderland, and decided to resign.

And all of that before his initial six-year Old Trafford contract would have expired had things gone the way he – and Sir Alex – had hoped.

That knowledge will hurt him.

But don’t kid yourself on – the money he has raked in will have softened the blow.

Rather than beating himself up, I reckon Davie will be getting his feet up and switching off from the relentless pressure of football management.

He will enjoy himself for a while, as he is entitled to do.

But the enjoyment won’t last forever. Pretty soon, the old urges will start to niggle away.

He’ll go from ignoring football completely to watching the odd game on the telly.

Then he’ll start watching every game on the telly, then start attending in person.

Davie will want back in.

And when he wants back in, I would love to see him in charge of Scotland.

Admittedly, that’s dependent on the opportunity arising.

That means it’s dependent on Gordon Strachan calling it quits or being moved aside.

But with a do-or-die World Cup qualifying clash with England looming ever larger, that’s not outwith the realms of possibility.

There’s every chance that, come full-time at Hampden on June 10, the SFA will need to look for a new manager.

As a passionate Scotland fan, I hope that isn’t the case, because it will mean our slim hopes of going to Russia next year have been snuffed out.

But if that’s the way it turns out, I think Davie Moyes is the right man to take us forward.

His critics will argue that he has been on a downward trajectory. They will say he’s not what the Scotland team needs.

On the contrary – I think he’s exactly what we need.

It’s not just that he’s a proud Scotsman and it’s not just that he’s the right age.

More than anything, it’s because Davie is an experienced, cultured, successful coach – and a damn good one, despite what some would have you believe.

At Preston North End, he proved he can work wonders with young players.

At Everton, he showed he could build a team better than the sum of its parts.

At Manchester United, he struggled to emerge from Sir Alex’s shadow – but even Jose Mourinho is finding that tough.

The failures that have followed can’t be ignored, but they don’t tell the full story.

Should Scotland need a new manager anytime soon, the SFA would be well advised to hear it from Davie direct.

If they do, they’ll come to the same conclusion as me – he is far from finished as a manager.