Paul Hartley hails Scotland boss

“He’s without a doubt the best manager I ever worked with an outstanding coach and an outstanding man manager.”

Paul Hartley believes the current Scotland team is the best the country has seen since the Euro 2008 qualifiers.

Hartley was a regular in Alex McLeish’s side when the Dark Blues came within 90 minutes of reaching the Finals in Austria and Switzerland six years ago.

There was the stunning home and away double over France, of course. And victories over Saturday’s opponents Georgia, Ukraine, Lithuania and the Faroe Islands meant Scotland’s fate was in their own hands going into the final game.

However, a Hampden defeat to the then world champions, Italy, meant the campaign ended in heartbreak.

In the years since, the Scots have never come close to replicating that sort of form.

But Dundee gaffer Hartley reckons Gordon Strachan has turned Scotland into serious qualification contenders once again by bringing belief back into the equation.

Hartley said: “The current team is the best we’ve had since the Euro campaign in 2008. When you look at it in terms of the results and the performances since Gordon took over, that’s clear.

“It’s quite a young team but it has a good balance about it and it’s looking very strong. In the opening qualifier against Germany, nobody really expected us to get too much, but we showed we aren’t too far away.

“The next game, against Georgia, is one you need to try to win if you want to have a real chance of qualifying.

“In the 2008 campaign, we were flying and had a very good team with the likes of Barry Ferguson, Darren Fletcher, Davie Weir, Kenny Miller and James McFadden.

“There was a lot of belief amongst the players at that time, especially playing at Hampden.

“We went into every game thinking we could get a result, which is something we managed against Georgia. I think Gordon has brought back the sense of optimism we had at that time.”

Having starred under Strachan at Celtic, Hartley remains a huge fan of the Scotland gaffer.

Their relationship remains strong to the extent that Strachan has extended an invitation to his former midfield general to join up with the national side ahead of next weekend’s crucial Georgia clash.

And it’s no surprise to hear Hartley insist that the air of confidence around Hampden these days is down to his old mentor.

“I’m going down to see Gordon next midweek, to see the training, see what’s going on and have a chat with him,” he revealed.

“He’s without a doubt the best manager I ever worked with an outstanding coach and an outstanding man manager.

“I think we’re all seeing the benefits of that with the national team just now. There’s a real confidence amongst the players that’s coming through in their performances and I think that is down to the manager.”