No Vogts decicision likely until Thursday say SFA

Under-fire Scotland manager Berti Vogts. Scottish football chiefs moved to quell reports saying Vogts was due to leave his job on Monday by insisting they expected no decision on the controversial German's future to be announced until Thursday at the earliest.

Scottish football chiefs moved to quell reports saying national manager Berti Vogts was due to leave his job on Monday by insisting they expected no decision on the controversial German's future to be announced until Thursday at the earliest.

BBC Scotland reported Sunday that Vogts woul be quitting his post on Monday but a Scottish Football Association (SFA) spokesman said: "We wouldn't envisage anything before Thursday."

The 11-man SFA board are due to meet on November 4 as the first Thursday of every month is when they usually hold their regular get-togethers.

Vogts, who led his native Germany to victory in Euro 1996, has faced mounting criticism following a string of poor results which has virtually left Scotland in need of a miracle if they are to qualify for the 2006 World Cup.

However, Vogts has repeatedly brushed aside talk of resignation and the prohibitively high cost of sacking him - 500,000 pounds - has been seen by many within Scottish football as a deterrent to ditching the coach.

Scotland have just two points after notching up two draws and a defeat from their opening three World Cup qualifiers.

Vogts, in charge for two-and-a-half years since succeeding Craig Brown in 2002, has a contract which is set to take him through to the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany or Scotland's qualifying elimination, whichever is the later.

Among those tipped to replace the 57-year-old, a World Cup-winner as a player with West Germany in 1974, are Walter Smith and Gordon Strachan.

Former manager of Scottish giants Rangers, Smith has no international experience as a player, although he was assistant to Alex Ferguson in the 1986 World Cup finals in Mexico.

Strachan, former boss of Coventry and Southampton, was the name supporters chanted during the Moldova match.

And the 47-year-old former Scotland skipper said earlier this year he would not decline the job if it were offered to him.

Scotland's next match is a November 17 friendly against Sweden at Hibernian's Easter Road ground in Edinburgh.