Michael O’Neill’s rejection of the Scotland job is just the latest in a long line of blows for fans of the national team.
Gordon Strachan’s side nearly ended the nation’s 20-year wait for a major finals appearance with a storming second half of the Russia 2018 qualification campaign.
But ultimately, the damage was done in the early part of the group as the Scots were held to a draw by Lithuania at Hampden and thrashed in Slovakia.
O’Neill’s stellar record with his native Northern Ireland made him the SFA’s top target but months of dithering gave way to supporter anger as the 48-year-old eventually decided to stay with his home country and send SFA chief executive Stewart Regan back to square one.
The job has been vacant since Strachan’s departure in October and now, three months later, many of the obvious targets like Paul Lambert and David Moyes are no longer available having moved on to jobs at Stoke and West Ham respectively.
We asked Press and Journal sports editor Danny Law and reporters Paul Third, Dave Edwards, Andy Skinner and Jamie Durent for their views on the search.
What do you think of the job the SFA has done searching for Gordon Strachan’s replacement?
Paul Third: “It came as no surprise to see the SFA fall short in their pursuit of Michael O’Neill. They took too long to agree compensation with the Irish FA, who in turn used the time afforded to them to come up with a deal which planted a seed of doubt in their manager’s mind.
“It doesn’t help that Stewart Regan pretty much nailed his colours to the mast in focusing all his attention on O’Neill and whoever comes in now is going to find it hard to shake the feeling he was second choice.”
Dave Edwards: “I think that the move to find a suitable replacement for Gordon Strachan has been handled at a snail’s pace.
“I accept that was no great rush with Scotland not involved in any meaningful internationals, by that I mean qualifying tournaments, in the immediate future, although we now do have friendly matches arranged against the mighty Costa Rica on March 23, at last we get the chance to avenge our shambolic 1-0 1990 World cup defeat in Italy at the hands of Latin American minnows, and in Hungary in Budapest four days later.”
Jamie Durent: “The problem with putting all your eggs in one basket is that there’s always the potential they might break.
“Michael O’Neill’s snubbing of the Scotland job is a PR nightmare for the Scottish FA, who publicly courted the Northern Ireland boss for months without success.
“Kilmarnock and Ross County both fired and hired their managers with relative brevity and you have to ask why the nation’s governing body could not have done the same.
“Stewart Regan will rightly get flak for the drawn-out process and failed outcome. To spend three months pursuing one man for your top job and come up short would leave many headhunters fearing for their job. Regan should be no different.”
Who should be the next Scotland manager?
Paul: “I can’t see Derek McInnes or Steve Clarke for that matter, wanting to walk away from club football for a tilt at the international game but the list of available candidates makes for uninspiring viewing so far.
“It’s time for the SFA to be bold and look beyond Scotland for the next boss. Berti Vogts was hardly a sparkling success but it always struck me he was a manager who failed to connect with his players.
“I’m not ready to call time on a non-Scot getting the job though and for something different why not go for Slaven Bilic?
“He did a fantastic job with Croatia, is a great motivator and did a sparkling job initially at West Ham before the wheels came off. He might just view leading Scotland back to the finals of a major tournament as the perfect platform to put himself in the shop window and with the Uefa Nations League surely this is our best chance of ending our absence from the big summer festivals of football.”
Danny Law: “This is a difficult job for the Scottish FA as there is no outstanding candidate to replace Gordon Strachan.
“Even Michael O’Neill with his great track record at Northern Ireland would have been a risky appointment.
“I don’t think a prerequisite for being the Scotland manager is to be Scottish and I’d like to see the SFA cast the net far and wide in the search for the new manager.
“However, the answer may be on their doorstep.
“They could do a lot worse than consider Hibernian’s Neil Lennon, Aberdeen’s Derek McInnes and Kilmarnock’s Steve Clarke.
“But there isn’t a competitive game until the Uefa Nations League kicks off in September so the SFA should take their time and find the right man rather than rush into a hasty appointment.”
Dave: “Taking all things into account, for me there really aren’t all that many suitable candidates in the frame.
“Anyone already in a job, such as Aberdeen’s Derek McInnes, or Steve Clarke at Kilmarnock, even if they wanted the position, would require compensation to be paid to their club, so I believe the obvious choice is a man who has done the job before, Big Eck – Alex McLeish.
Andy Skinner: “While there were aspects of Gordon Strachan’s leadership that frustrated me, there is no doubt we were building momentum towards the end of his reign even though we fell short of the ultimate goal of qualifying for Russia.
“Some of our most influential players have put on record their disappointment at the decision not to keep him on, so the SFA needs to tackle this one carefully as I think some sense of continuity is required.
“Alex McLeish is a relatively safe and inexpensive option who would require no honeymoon period given his previous – and successful – stint as national team manager.
“Approaching 60, McLeish would come at a good age for international management and has added English Premier League and overseas experience to his CV since he departed in 2007.”
“I don’t see many other realistic candidates in work who would be worth the financial risk the SFA were prepared to take on O’Neill. In McLeish they have a strong candidate staring them in the face.”
Jamie: “I don’t think any of the circulated names, like Malky Mackay and Alex McLeish, would do anything to inspire a fanbase desperate for re-energising after the Strachan era.
“With a crop of promising young players at his disposal, the next man has to be a motivator with proven track record of optimising talent. Scotland cannot afford to waste Kieran Tierney and Andrew Robertson on more missed qualifications.
“The names I would look towards are Slaven Bilic and Guus Hiddink. Bilic took Croatia to the European Championships in 2008 and 2012 – before the tournament was expanded to 24 teams – although he was able to count on players like Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic, Ivan Rakitic and Mario Mandzukic. I’m sure he’ll be able to coax more out of the current Scotland squad.
“Hiddink is the more intriguing one. There’s no doubting his attributes, after taking South Korea and Australia to consecutive World Cups and managing Russia to the semi-finals of Euro 2008. Yes, he had a tumultuous return to the Dutch national team a couple of years ago but the problems there ran far deeper than him.
“At 71 he may not have the appetite for one more challenge but put an incentive-laden contract in front of him to get Scotland to Euro 2020 and it may well change his mind.”
There you have it, a dead heat between Slaven Bilic and Alex McLeish.
If the SFA opt to put the two former centre-halves together to form a management dream team our boys will be in touch for their consultancy fee.
