STEWART Regan is set to face stern questions over his handling of the Michael O’Neill saga when the Scottish Football Association’s main board meet up to discuss the matter next week.
Regan, who headed up a sub-committee of the board tasked with appointing Gordon Strachan’s successor which also included Alan McRae, Rod Petrie and Ian Maxwell, has been left with egg on his face by the Northern Irishman’s decision to stay on with the Irish FA and it will be a matter of some urgency for other members of the board to find out exactly where this leaves the hunt for a new manager.
While Regan made clear that O’Neill was the association’s No.1 target, a tactic which subsequently backfired, it is believed that this approach was not unanimously favoured in the boardroom where the first step will be to take stock and ask where the SFA go from here.
Questions will also be asked about the inordinate amount of time it took the SFA to make the approach, although the IFA, understandably reluctant to lose their man, made the task of agreeing suitable compensation anything but straightforward.
O’neill turned Scotland
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down purely for football reasons and not the financial rewards he will enjoy by staying with Northern Ireland, according to Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson.
The Irish FA are offering a staggering £4.8million over six years that dwarves the £2.4million four-year deal the SFA were willing to pay their No1 target.
Robinson, who served as an assistant to O’Neill in the qualifying phase and finals of Euro 2016, believes money was not the motivation for O’Neill, who also led Northern Ireland to a play-off place for the 2018 World Cup.
He reckons O’Neill has got the buy-in from the senior players in his squad for another campaign with the belief that he can continue his remarkable run at get to Euro 2020
Robinson said: “I’m sure he’s done it for football reasons, I wouldn’t imagine for a second that he’s done it for financial reasons.
“He believes he has unfinished business with Northern Ireland.
“I’m quite sure, for example, Michael will have spoken to the older lads in the squad.
“He’s done his due diligence and he will have spoken with the senior lads in the squad for sure.
“I don’t know for certain but I’m pretty sure they will have given him an assurance that they are going to play on.
“He has so much respect from the players and the staff and if they are to play on then Michael staying would have been a huge part of their decision.
“These are the guys playing at the highest level in the squad.
“If he didn’t think he was able to qualify he probably wouldn’t still be there.
“He’s a talented man and I’m sure he’s done the best thing for his career and his family.”
While Stewart Regan and the SFA board made it clear from the outset that O’Neill was the No1 – and perhaps only – target to replace Gordon Strachan, Robinson believes there was always a feeling in Northern Ireland that he would not jump ship.
He said: “The reaction back home is as you would expect, people are delighted.
“I think they were quietly confident of him staying and now it’s settled everyone can move on.
“Michael never at any stage said he wanted the Scotland job or that he was going to take it.
“My kids are absolutely delighted, I think they were worried I had a chance of getting the job.
“Seriously, though, it’s great news for Northern Ireland.
“It’s a massive boost to keep Michael given what’s he done for football in our country.
“He holds the key to the IFA and he literally runs it from top to bottom.”
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