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In the wake of George Burley's dismissal, skysports.com takes a look at other calamitous Home Nations bosses

Being a football manager is an unenviable task, with little seemingly to gain and plenty to lose.

Win a few games and the players take all the plaudits, lose a few and all of sudden you are public enemy No.1 and your neck is wedged firmly in the guillotine.

At least club bosses only have to concern themselves with appeasing a relatively small percentage of the population.

Should they succumb to the sack, they can console themselves in the fact that a relocation to the other end of the country will see them steer clear of the baying mob.

International managers have no such luck though, with their every selection and tactical tinker scrutinised in minute detail by an entire country.

The pressure to succeed is immense, especially in football-mad cultures such as those which exist across Great Britain.

Underachievement will not be tolerated, with appearances at major finals demanded rather than longed for.

A sense of perspective is required when placing the performances of a nation such as Northern Ireland alongside that of a European heavyweight like England, but the underlying principles are the same.

Wins are all that matters and managers, whether they like it or not, will be judged on their ability to generate as many as possible.

George Burley found to his cost this week that the Scots do not take lightly to abject failure, but he is by no means the first manager to crumple under the weight of carrying the hopes and dreams of one of the Home Nations.

Here skysports.com takes a look at a few other coaches who have supped from the poisoned chalice.

George Burley - Scotland

We may as well start with the man of the moment, with Burley's 22-month tenure in charge of Scotland recently brought to an abrupt end. The former Ipswich and Hearts boss took the reins with a decent reputation for being able to bring the best out of unfashionable sides. Surely this made him the ideal man for the job. Unfortunately Burley was unable to transfer his club management skills into the international arena and endured a torrid time at the helm of the Scottish ship. He oversaw just three victories in 14 fixtures, along with eight defeats, with failure to qualify for the 2010 World Cup making his position virtually untenable. Burley was initially given a stay of execution, but a hapless performance during a 3-0 friendly defeat to Wales in Cardiff proved to be the final straw.

Berti Vogts - Scotland

Burley's win rate of just over 21 per cent suggests that the Scottish Football Association were right to part with his services, just as they were correct to usher Vogts out of the door in November 2004. The German arrived with an impressive pedigree, having led his homeland to a runners-up spot at Euro 92 and European Championship glory four years later in England. However, he never looked like replicating those heroics with Scotland as a series of heavy defeats blighted the early part of his reign. Under his guidance Scotland dropped to their lowest ever Fifa ranking, while they also missed out on the 2006 World Cup. Unsurprisingly, with a win percentage of just 25.81, he was soon put out of his misery.

Ally MacLeod - Scotland

A quick glance at MacLeod's early record during his time in charge of the Scotland national side makes for impressive reading. Qualification for the 1978 World Cup was secured with consummate ease, with reigning European champions Czechoslovakia put to the sword along the way. However, this success appeared to go to his head as he soon started reeling off the kind of ridiculous boasts usually reserved for egotistical boxing superstars. He claimed that Scotland would return from the 78 World Cup 'with at least a medal', much to the delight of a jubilant public who quickly grew very attached to their cult hero. However, a 3-1 defeat to lowly Peru in their opening contest in Argentina soon dampened spirits, while a 1-1 draw with Iran extinguished them entirely. A 3-2 victory over Holland in their final fixture failed to paper over the cracks and MacLeod resigned soon after, with just 17 games under his belt.

Don Revie - England

Leeds United fans may believe that it is sacrilegious to question the managerial credentials of Revie, with the legendary boss still much revered around Elland Road, but his record at England boss makes for uncomfortable reading. Having achieved considerable success with Leeds, Revie was the oblivious choice for the Football Association to replace caretaker coach Joe Mercer in 1974. Things did not play out as planned, though, as the Three Lions endured a miserable era of underachievement. England failed to qualify for Euro 76, on the back of missing out on the 1974 World Cup, while Revie would also lay the foundations for an unsuccessful bid to reach the 1978 finals. He eventually fell on his sword in 1977, taking the controversial decision to take up an offer from the United Arab Emirates national side.

Graham Taylor - England

Qualification for major tournaments is essential to the England national side, so anyone who fails to secure a safe passage to any given showpiece is always going to feel the heat. That certainly proved to be the case for Taylor during his forgettable three-year stint in the early 1990s. Stepping into Bobby Robson's shoes was always going to be tough, but Taylor quickly alienated himself from the English public and press. A lacklustre showing at Euro 92 did him no favours, while failure to make USA 94 saw him turned into an almost comic character. Some will say the treatment afforded to him was harsh, but he knew what he was getting into when he accepted such a post. He resigned in November 1993, with only 18 victories taken from 38 games in charge.

Steve McClaren - England

If Taylor was bad, McClaren was worse. His record actually contradicts that statement, with Taylor boasting a 47 per cent win percentage and McClaren managing 50 per cent. The latter did, however, only manage 18 games in the hot-seat before he was given the boot. McClaren was appointed amid a clamour for an Englishman to be in charge of the England team, with his predecessor, Swedish tactician Sven Goran Eriksson, struggling to win over the sceptics. It proved to be a bad choice as the former Middlesbrough manager stumbled his way through a Euro 2008 qualifying campaign. Despite failing to impress, his fate still rested in his own hands heading into a final fixture against Croatia at Wembley. We all know what happened next. It rained, a lot. England lost. Failed to qualify as a result. The 'Wally with the Brolly' was handed his P45. In that order.

Kevin Keegan - England

A popular appointment in February 1999, Keegan enjoyed a nationwide respect rarely seen in modern management. Perhaps this goes someway to explaining why his reputation did not take more of a battering following a disappointing reign which saw England rarely rise above the mediocre. A first round exit at Euro 2000 was just about forgivable as arch-rivals Germany were overcome 1-0 during the group stages. However, defeat to the old foes in the final competitive game to be played at the old Wembley, during qualification for the 2002 World Cup, saw the pressure mount. Keegan, a man with a reputation for doing a runner when the going gets tough, opted out, with Eriksson brought in to steady the ship and turn England back into a competitive outfit.

John Toshack - Wales

Toshack may be doing a decent enough job with Wales at present, despite the nation's ongoing failure to reach major events. A squad brimming with potential suggests the future looks bright, and Toshack should be applauded for adopting an approach which could have backfired badly. The former Real Madrid boss has not always been the toast of his homeland, though, with his first stint in charge of the national team causing more than a few raised eyebrows. Appointed in 1994, he lasted just 41 days in the post before packing his bags and heading off to pastures new. That was long enough for him to suffer a 3-1 defeat against Norway, but remains one of the shortest reigns in the history of the Home Nations.

Bobby Gould - Wales

It is fair to say that Gould is not the most popular candidate to have ever managed the Welsh national side. The fact that he lasted four years in the role suggests he must have very thick skin, because he never got the supporters on side. Questionable tactics and public spats with high-profile players led many to suggest that he was not up to the job. Failure to reach the 1998 World Cup only served to further underline this opinion and ultimately led to Gould's downfall. He handed in his resignation in 1999, much to the relief of many of those on the terraces, and has only made fleeting appearances in the management business since then.

Lawrie McMenemy - Northern Ireland

McMenemy has the rather inauspicious honour of being involved in two of the most disastrous spells on our list. He sat alongside Taylor during his much-maligned spell in charge of England, unable to help turn the timid Three Lions into kings of the jungle. Five years later he decided to have another dabble in international waters, agreeing to take the Northern Ireland job. A largely disappointing two-year tenure followed, with McMenemy failing to bring about the desired improvement in results. Failure to make Euro 2000 persuaded McMenemy that enough is enough and he duly resigned, allowing somebody else to have a go. He has not returned to management since.

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