Weir Vogts with his feet

By Chris Kirwan
October 1 2002

David Weir has responded to Bertie Vogts' outburst after Scotland’s Faroe Islands debacle by telling the dour German he doesn’t want to be included in the Scotland squad in the near future.

Vogts was quoted as saying: "Dailly and Weir disappointed me. They were to blame for the goals we conceded, not the youngsters”. He was roundly condemned for these words, especially from inside Goodison. Moyes wrote a letter of complaint to the SFA and Graeme Sharp voiced his disgust through the press.

Weir has consistently been one of Everton best players in the past few seasons and perhaps his absence will push Vogts closer to the edge. Scotland has lost a couple of key players to early international retirement in recent years; Gary McAllister retired early due to abuse from sections of the crowd, and Big Dunc walked out in protest at lack of support from the SFA when sent for a few months in Barlinnie.

But us Evertonians will not be concerned at Weir’s departure from the international scene; he can devote all of his attention to the Blues and continue to forge a defensive partnership with Joseph Yobo.

And it will be interesting to see who is linked with the post of Scotland boss if Vogts gets the boot. Will a dour German be replaced by a dour Scot with a tendency for referring to performances as "disappointing" with his chum with the knack of over-working players in training?!