NEIL LENNON has queried the desire of some Scotland players, asking if they had "the hunger" or "the soul" to play for the national team.

The Celtic manager, speaking after successive defeats ensured Scotland were the first European team to be eliminated from the qualifying process for the 2014 World Cup, added: "I think in terms of the national team they have to leave their egos at the door and sacrifice a bit more for their country."

He also called for a summit to address the problems of the national game. "It's about time the SFA called a few managers in, called a few ex-players in and a few youth development people in and said: 'Is there a template here we can work from to make things better?' The national team is the end product. What we're seeing at the minute is disappointing."

Lennon, who said that he had not spoken to Gordon Strachan, the national coach, since the defeats by Wales and Serbia, was scathing about the attitude of some of the players. He said: "They just seemed to lack a bit of soul and I don't know if it's the whole social thing. It used to be a privilege playing for your country. I'm not so sure it is now for some players. I look at the Scotland team – and I've said this for quite a while – I do worry about hunger."

He added: " I'm not picking out individual players, but do they really want to play for Scotland? Or do they see it as a chore, coming away from the clubs where they've got a good lifestyle and they're comfortable."

Lennon, who was capped 40 times for Northern Ireland before retiring after receiving death threats, said: "You need to make a sacrifice to play for your country. I see it in other, smaller countries who are really proud and passionate. The soundbites are good coming from the players, but the evidence isn't there."

Scotland sit bottom of Group A with two points from five matches. Strachan's first two competitive games ended in defeat and Croatia, England and Belgium are next on his agenda.

Lennon said he had not yet phoned his former manager to commiserate, adding: "I'd rather give him a bit of time to digest it all. He knows he has a big undertaking on his hands. He knew that before he took over."

He is convinced, however, that the man who gave him his first coaching job has the credentials to turn around the fortunes of Scotland. "I think he's the best man for the job. He wants to play a certain way and he will have to make changes. I was impressed with Liam Bridcutt the other night. I thought he handled the game well considering it was his debut and George Boyd showed wee flashes in the Serbian game as well," he said of the Brighton midfielder and the forward player on loan to Hull City.

Lennon, whose under-19 side is leading the way in their own league, believes there is no problem over the amount of talent in the country but he listed a series of questions that invited dispiriting answers. "Are we nourishing the talent the right way?" he asked. "Are we coaching the right way or what is perceived to be the right way? Are they hungry for it? Or do they think they just need to turn up and take it or do they earn it now? Do we make them out to be better than they really are? We are having a real dose of reality when it comes to the national game here."

Lennon also questioned the efficiency of academies and called for tougher regimes for young players. "They don't clean the boots any more, they don't clean the toilets," he said. Lennon, who served his apprenticeship with Manchester City added: "They're not here at 9am. We were on a YTS system. We got £28.50 and you had jobs to do during the day as well as training – getting kit ready, looking after the first-team players. That's where you learned respect for first team players and the game."