Under-fire SFA chief executive Stewart Regan must answer for Michael O'Neill debacle to save his job

Stewart Regan, however, can expect a far more demanding few hours than normal at the Swiss Tech Centre here in Lausanne this afternoon.

Read more: Scott Mullen: Stewart Regan is not root of Scotland's problems, but he now has no hiding place

The Scottish Football Association’s senior official is facing the most challenging test of his seven and a half year tenure as a result of Michael O’Neill’s decision to turn down the chance to become the new Scotland manager on Monday.

He has been savaged by many members of the Tartan Army over his failure to secure the services of the man an SFA sub-committee identified as their preferred candidate to succeed Gordon Strachan back in November. There have calls for the Yorkshireman to resign immediately from pundits and former players. There are serious questions for him to answer.

Failure to provide satisfactory explanations as to why he is attending the draw by himself, and not accompanying the individual who will lead this country to the Euro 2020 finals, later today will make his increasingly precarious position as the head of the governing body untenable. For many, it is a foul up too far.

First and foremost, Regan must explain why it took over two months for O’Neill to decline their offer. His organisation made an official approach to the Irish Football Association for permission to speak to the Northern Ireland manager way back in the middle of November. What exactly happened in the intervening period?

The death of O’Neill’s mother after a lengthy illness understandably slowed the process down. The Edinburgh-based coach needed time to grieve her passing with his family. But the length of time it took between the SFA singling him out as their main target and actually sitting down around a table for formal discussions is known to have frustrated even him.

Strachan, the man who the Portadown-born coach worked under during his time at Coventry and has credited as being the greatest influence on his managerial career, expressed the view on TALKSport on Monday that the delay may well have been the reason he declined to move on after six years in charge of his homeland.

Paul Lambert and Davie Moyes, two Scottish managers with impressive track records at the highest level in English football and whose appointments would have been welcomed by many, if not all, fans, have both found alternative employment with Stoke City and West Ham respectively in recent weeks.

Regan refused to take the blame after Strachan failed to deliver a Russia 2018 play-off place in October. The gist of his message was that he was working together with the main board. “It’s not about me,” he said. But in this instance it surely is. He was told to go out and get the manager and, after nine weeks, failed to do so.

Read more: Scott Mullen: Stewart Regan is not root of Scotland's problems, but he now has no hiding place

Claims that O’Neill wasn’t worth all the effort are certainly unfair. He led his homeland to their first tournament finals in 30 years. Yes, he had an easy Euro 2016 qualifying group with Finland, the Faroe Islands and Greece in it. He also had the benefit of having two Premier League centre backs, Gareth McAuley and Jonny Evans, at his disposal. That is a luxury that Scotland didn’t have.

But he followed up that success by leading his men to the last 16 over in France and then secured a Russia 2018 play-off spot. A horrendous refereeing blunder in the first leg against Switzerland at Windsor Park cost them. They were edged out 1-0 over two legs. He was the right choice.

But the failure to get their man is unquestionably a major embarrassment or the SFA. Was there no way they could have ascertained whether the 48-year-old would be interested in taking over from Strachan without it entering the public domain?

They will argue that they went through the proper channels and conducted themselves by the book. The man they were after certainly praised their professionalism in his brief statement earlier this week. But it all hints a distinct lack of understanding of the unique inner workings of the game.

O’Neill, the former Aberdeen, Dundee United, Hibernian and St. Johnstone midfielder ,lives in this country, as does his assistant Jimmy Nicholl and his first team coach Austin MacPhee.

The fact it is now known the former Brechin City and Shamrock Rovers manager O’Neill was top of their list makes the position of whoever does come in, and there is now no immediately obvious alternative contender, very difficult.

He will have to live with the fact that he is second or even third or fourth choice. That may colour supporters’ attitude towards him? What, too, will the players’ attitude be towards whoever is finally brought in? If the Nations League or Euro 2020 qualifying campaign goes badly it will not help him one bit.

Alex McLeish, who is keen to return to the job he held for 10 games back in 2007, told Herald Sport yesterday he would be unconcerned with not being the individual who was initially contacted. There will, as always, be no shortage of out-of-work managers lining up to offer their services. But it is all highly unfortunate.

Suggestions that money was the main factor in O’Neill, who has been offered a far more lucrative contract extension with the IFA, opting not to take the Scotland job, which offered a lesser salary of around £500,000 a year with add ons, looked wide of the mark at Edinburgh Airport in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The man of the moment stole onto the EasyJet flight to Geneva at stupid o’clock at the very last minute much to the frustration of the media who were hoping to catch him for a word. He was hardly travelling first class on concorde.

He may elaborate further on his reasons for in Switzerland. It will certainly be time for Mr Regan to explain himself.