Stewart Regan not ‘totally responsible’ for Michael O’Neill snub

Former chief executive of the Scottish Football Association (SFA), Gordon Smith, does not think his successor Stewart Regan was „totally responsible“ for Scotland missing out on Michael O’Neill.

O’Neill had been the SFA’s main target, which was reported widely in the press, only for the 48-year-old to reject the job offer.

Regan stood down as chief executive a week after O’Neill rejected the SFA’s offer.
Speaking to Sky Sports News on Friday, Smith was asked what he felt was Regan’s legacy as CEO: „I don’t know what he has done regarding the benefits for Scottish football.“

Regan replaced Smith at the helm of Scottish football in 2010, following the latter’s three-year tenure.

Asked about the O’Neill ‘debacle’, Smith added: „I don’t know if he (Regan) was totally responsible for it because, in my era as chief executive, I wasn’t allowed to make any decisions on my own.

„Everything was done in conjunction with the board or committee. It wasn’t handled very well.
„Stewart got the blame for it but the SFA were to blame for the general situation. I think he was part of it but not totally responsible for it.

„He was involved in the appointment of a manager but you don’t select a manager yourself, that’s the board’s decision.“

Smith believes the structure within the SFA needs to be changed to give the CEO more control.

He added: „Changes need to be done. I felt as a chief executive, I should have had more powers and if I got it wrong, then I would be accountable for my mistakes.

„But when everything has to go through a vote, then it’s not quite the same. I think Stewart had a little more power than I had.
„As chief executive, if you are totally responsible or not, you end up getting the blame for it and I was very much aware people were looking to turn things against you if things didn’t go well.“

Smith believes Regan was more culpable over arranging Scotland’s friendly fixtures in the Americas during post-season.

„There was also a lot of criticism over the friendly games in the summer, against Mexico and Peru, and Celtic were particularly critical, and wrote to the SFA complaining,“ he added.

„I think he was responsible for arranging those games. But the biggest problem in Scottish football is we haven’t qualified for a major tournament (since 1998) and that’s not the chief executive’s fault.“

Smith also believes Scotland should continue to play international games at Hampden Park.

The current agreement finishes in 2020, with Murrayfield in Edinburgh – more associated with rugby union – keen to become involved with the national football team.

Smith added: „I think football should stay at Hampden Park because that’s the home of Scottish football, with its tradition and history – even though some improvements need to be made to the stadium.“
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