Smith in line as vilified Vogts steps down

In the end, only the timing was surprising. Berti Vogts had come under pressure to resign after Scotland's latest setbacks, and was finally expected to be dismissed when the Scottish Football Association's board of directors met later this week. Instead, the former Germany coach pre-empted the decision last night, citing "disgraceful abuse" from some fans and the "unacceptable power" of the press as factors in his departure.

Vogts, 57, tendered his resignation to the SFA, who not only accepted it but allowed it to be represented as a parting by mutual consent. Whichever way his demise is dressed up, the bottom line is that Scotland's results during his 33 months in charge seldom rose above the mediocre, with the national team failing to reach this year's European Championship finals and starting their World Cup qualifying campaign with only two points from their first three matches.

Thursday's meeting of the SFA's 11-man board, at which Vogts' fate was likely to be sealed, will now focus on the choice of his successor. Gordon Strachan emerged as the popular choice after last month's frustrating draw in Moldova, but is regarded as a loose cannon by several of those who will vote. Walter Smith, the former Rangers and Everton manager who worked as No 2 at Manchester United last season, is deemed a safer pair of hands. In a ballot where a simple majority is required, Smith reputedly has the support of at least five directors.

Craig Brown, Vogts' predecessor, said either candidate was "eminently acceptable", adding that he believed Scotland could qualify for the World Cup. The Scots' next match is a friendly against Sweden in Edinburgh on 17 November.

Vogts, who presided over just eight victories and 16 defeats in his 31 full internationals with Scotland, issued a statement which alluded to the vilification to which he claimed was subjected by sections of the Tartan Army, both immediately after the match against Moldova in Chisinau and later in the airport. It read: "With great reluctance, myself and the Scottish FA, and in particular John McBeth (president) and David Taylor (chief executive) - who have been a great source of strength and support - have made a joint decision to close this chapter in my life."

The statement continued: "From my point of view, the decision has been made with a heavy heart, as I have enjoyed my tenure and the warmth that I have experienced from the people of Scotland. I must say that the major factor in this decision has been the disgraceful abuse I have suffered, especially of late. It has degenerated into a physical nature, especially on recent occasions when I was spat on. This is not acceptable behaviour in a civilised society and I know that the vast majority of Scots will join me in my disgust at this act by a very tiny minority.

"The abuse is something that people in public life must get used to, but now it is having a serious effect on my home life. I cannot sit by - no one would - to be involved in the abuse that I have to tolerate. This has made this very hard decision inevitable."

Vogts then rounded on those within the media whom he saw as having encouraged public hostility. "What these actions have proved has been the unacceptable power of the tabloid press to influence its readership. The opinions expressed, mostly by journalists with little knowledge of the game, had a great effect on some supporters."

Few dispute Vogts has had humdrum raw material with which to work. Yet he showed scant indication of being able to get the best from his resources through shrewd organisation, a facet in which Brown and, before him, Andy Roxburgh excelled. Moreover, his personal style - notably an inability to communicate convincingly in English, which saw him insisting "we played a well game" - often made a hard task near-impossible.

Vogts' tenure never recovered from a dire start, when Scotland lost 5-0, going on 10-0, to France. That night he argued bitterly - and publicly - with the Celtic goalkeeper Rab Douglas, who maintained he had been told he would replace Neil Sullivan in the second half but did not. In Paris he showed another trait of his reign, that of playing people out of position, by using the Crystal Palace striker Dougie Freedman on the right of midfield.

The Scots' most embarrassing competitive result under Vogts was probably the 2-2 draw in the Faroe Islands - although defeat in Lithuania ran it close - while his best, a 1-0 win over the Netherlands in the first leg of the Euro 2004 play-offs, was followed by a 6-0 annihilation in Amsterdam. In all, he used 64 players - a statistic which virtually ensured Scotland would never establish consistency.

Berti Vogts: life and times

1946: Born on 30 December 30, in Büttgen, Germany.

1970: Wins first of five titles as player for Mönchengladbach.

1972: Wins European Championship with West Germany.

1974: Wins World Cup, defeating Netherlands 2-1.

1990: Replaces Franz Beckenbauer as West Germany coach.

1996: Wins European Championship as coach of Germany.

2000: Joins Bayer Leverkusen, qualifies for Champions' League.

2002: Joins Scotland. Loses first game 5-0 to France but reaches Euro 2004 play-offs in 2003.

2004: November 1: Resigns, played 31, won 8, lost 16.