If there was ever a time for Scot Gemmill to rest on his laurels it would probably be now.
After all, when he was first appointed at the SFA eight years ago, the remit was pretty clear. Nurture and develop young players capable of stepping up to the Scotland national team.
And as he scanned down Steve Clarke ’s squad for the Euro 2020 finals this summer, he must have enjoyed a quiet sense of pride.
Gemmill would never admit that, of course. His modesty and total reluctance to blow his own trumpet is one of the reasons he’s not currently in a club job.
But of Clarke’s 23 outfield players, Gemmill coached 18 at youth level as gaffer or assistant to Billy Stark.
And of the five who weren’t under his wing at some point, Liam Cooper, Scott McTominay and Che Adams hadn’t yet committed to Scotland.
Declan Gallagher, a late developer, and Lyndon Dykes, an Aussie born and bred, were the other two Gemmill hasn’t worked with.
So you could say that’s job done, right?
But not for the former Nottingham Forest and Everton midfielder, who turned 50 this year. Of course, in the future he has ambitions to be a club boss.
Given his record with Scotland’s youths – and now with the Under-21 side – it is a mystery why no club board in this country has given him the opportunity.
But that hasn’t dampened his desire to produce the next batch of youngsters to challenge for a place at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar should we qualify.
When you rhyme off names such as Nathan Patterson, Josh Doig, Aaron Hickey, Ryan Porteous, Billy Gilmour, Scott Banks, David Turnbull and Lewis Fiorini, it’s difficult not to get excited.
At the start of a new season, and off the back of our first major tournament appearance in 23 years, there’s a real sense of optimism. Gemmill wants to be a part of it and, right now, that’s what keeps him driven and motivated.
He told MailSport : “Generally, for Scottish football, it feels quite exciting especially if these boys kick on now.
“If you compare now to when I was around the national squad as a player – the gap between the Under-21s and the full side has closed considerably.
“It used to be quite rare for an Under-21 player to jump right in. You had to wait.
“But it’s not just Scotland. When you look at the Euros, there were loads of younger players.
“It’s not as daunting now for them. Credit has to go to Stevie because he’s the guy who has to front up and do it. The young players can see how close they are now and they’re starting to smell it. That should be exciting for them.
“Of course, we might help in a small way with the Under-21s. If we have, fantastic.
“If you go through the first-team squad now, there are loads of players that we’ve been fortunate enough to work with.
“But it’s down to the players who have got there with their hard work and ability.
“It proves we’re doing something right. But they’re at good clubs, performing at a high level.
“I’ve been here a long time but still love it. Working with the Under-21s is great because you’re with such good players at a high level.
“We now have a group of boys born in 2002 who are pushing to get into the Under-21s.
“And they will then be eligible for the next Euros campaign after this one. I’ve tried to push the younger ones and give them extra experience and exposure. I really believe in it.
“By the time our last campaign finished, half of the squad was eligible to play again in the next one. It helps the players, it gives them extra time.
“Fiorini can play again, Doig, Hickey, Patterson – they are all available.
“But after a meeting with Stevie last week, I expect the likes of Patterson to be with the full squad permanently.”
That’s where the satisfaction comes from for Gemmill. Seeing talented youngsters he has helped develop become fully-fledged internationals, just like Patterson who made his debut this summer. But he has been doing it since he took over Scotland’s Under-17 side in 2014 and led them to a European Championship semi-final.
His track record speaks for itself, so why hasn’t a Scottish club with the right ethos and vision come calling?
Gemmill has never been one to self-promote. And he’s also prepared to wait for an opening that’s going to get the best out of him.
He said: “Of course, eventually I’d like to be a club manager. But it’s about getting the right opportunity and so far that hasn’t happened yet.
“You can’t wave a magic wand. I’m not Pep Guardiola so I can’t choose where I work. Right now I just want to continue to help these young players push on.
“I’m excited because it’s the start of the new cycle. There’s always a big development in the players from the start to the end of a campaign.
“Think about the last group, boys like Ross McCrorie, Allan Campbell, Lewis Ferguson and Porteous. Look at where they were at the start of the Under-21 cycle compared to where they were at the end.
“Household names, established at their clubs with 100 or more Premiership games under their belts.
“That’s the challenge for the new batch –to get that for themselves. Everyone is waiting to see how high they can go.”
And for most of Scotland’s top talent, Gemmill believes their ambitions can be limitless. It’s different to when he was a player, working under legendary gaffers such as Brian Clough and Walter Smith.
It has even changed dramatically since he joined the SFA. Nowadays, with modern technology, he insists players can’t blame anyone for not being the best they can be.
Gemmill said: “On a weekend in the Scottish Premiership there’s usually only five or six Scotland Under-21 players involved.
“So the pathway into first-team football at their clubs is tough. But young players’ attitudes have changed compared to maybe even 10 years ago.
“They want to be the fittest and best they can be, their game intelligence has improved massively and they’re mature and clever enough to execute a game plan.
“That’s different from years ago. But that’s now the demand we put on players.
“There’s no excuse now for youngsters, in terms of the work they can do on their own and the footage they can access.
“Previous generations had to video Sportscene then watch it before school in the morning. It’s easier now – but they still need the motivation to do it. All the elite players have that now.”
