“There wasn’t a lack of  kids coming through in  the 70s, 80s and 90s. So  that needs to get   stronger.

“The coach can only do  so much, you can’t just  blame George Burley.

“You need to look at  the players. You saw a lack of  passion on Saturday in  Cardiff.”

The SFA had given  Burley a vote of  confidence despite his  failure to make the  World Cup  play-offs, but  subsequent defeats by  Japan, and Wales in  particular, made  Burley’s position   untenable.

SFA chief executive Smith said: “The decision was taken after a meeting with the board of  directors and, subsequently, the national coach. The board was in unanimous agreement.

“It should be stressed that the decision was not a direct consequence of Saturday’s  unacceptable 3-0 defeat to Wales but, rather, a realisation that the expectations of the supporters,  the Scottish FA and George himself, were not being met.

“I should point out that the Scottish FA stands by its decision to give the national coach our full  support despite failure to qualify for the World Cup play-offs.

“It would have been negligent not to have given George every opportunity to rebuild and  revitalise the squad in light of the improved performances in the last two qualifiers against  Macedonia and Holland.

“Unfortunately, the adverse results in the two subsequent friendly matches against Japan and  Wales provided confirmation that the improvement could not be sustained.

“On a personal note, I would like to thank George for his contribution and, on behalf of the  Scottish FA, I wish him all the best for the future.”