Tommy for Scotland?


Abernethy Saint
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A manager who can take a team of bang-average players and motivate them to consistently over perform well as one solid unit? It'll never catch on.

But sadly the SFA will never pay compensation for a diddy club manager up here. They'd much rather spunk it on an out of work failure punted from the glamorous English second tier. I have seen no odds yet, but Lambert and the usuals will be in the frame no doubt. I bet Coyle's now pissed off he took the the County job, he would have been in the mix as well. Malky, of course, has already got his foot in the door.

I'm certainly not expecting an inspiring appointment. I would be absolutely delighted to be proven wrong, but forgive me if I don't get my hopes up.

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Sadly, I think you've got it bang on. Your point about bringing the best out of journeymen players is surely the way to go. Norn Irn? Ireland? Wales? Iceland? The list is endless. Odds-on though an uninspired, "safe" choice. Michael O'Neil would be brilliant, and not too long before the WC play-offs to see if he is available.

However, I am old enough to remember not one but two Saints managers, doing very well with an unfashionable club, who were appointed Scotland manager. You never know.

Oh for a bit of imagination in the SFA. 

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All the usual suspects mentioned. That is the way SFA has always gone,with the exception of Bertie & that didn't go well.

When you see Iceland ,Switzerland, Irish & Welsh do well then there is more to it than talent.

Feel a wee bit sorry for Strachan getting the boot after 5 wins & 2 draws but it is what went before that was the problem & even in these 7 games he made mistakes.

Finally ,anyone who includes Whittaker in the Scotland squad deserves the boot by mutual consent.

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Tommy would be the obvious choice. He makes a lot out of nothing much, gets the best out of people. Given the pool of Scottish talent, he'd be ideal. And we've got a history of providing good Scottish managers. I wouldn't be surprised. It was the first thought that came to me when I heard the great news that Strachan was toast.

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Why would Michael O'Neill be even remotely interested?

I don't think Tommy Wright will even be on the SFA's radar (and I don't think the job would suit him anyway). Taking a manager from a smaller club like Saints just isn't the SFA's style. They'll want someone from the usual gang of supposed big-name under-achievers, probably Scottish, and probably with some tedious Old Firm connection.

If Malky Mackay ends up getting it I'll be even more disgusted with the SFA than I already am.

I think they should try to find someone who has already had some experience at international level. Failing that I think McInnes would be a good pick, but appreciate he seems tied to Aberdeen for the long haul.

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Because the SFA could probably quadruple his wages, and if NI fail in the play-offs, he may feel he's done all he can there, and because he lives in Scotland. Unusually, I think you're off the mark on this one.

As has been said, Scotland have raided Saints twice before for a manager.

As has been said, Tommy is brilliant in making no more than decent players over-achieve.

Personally I'd be delitit. It's the one job Tommy could go to where I'd still get to support him,

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Because the SFA could probably quadruple his wages, and if NI fail in the play-offs, he may feel he's done all he can there, and because he lives in Scotland.

Both nations are mostly dealing with a similar level of player (lower half EPL, Championship, Scot Prem), and although I'm no expert on the NI squad and succession plans, there certainly appears to be an argument that the Scotland squad has greater potential looking forward. Perhaps, as you say, failure in the play-offs will make O'Neill think about looking for opportunities elsewhere. A new challenge etc.

Couple that with his recent comments about not being in any rush to take a club job, and an opportunity like the Scotland role could turn his head as it would allow him to stay in international management for a further 3-5 years. Plus he's based in Edinburgh and has links and experience with the game up here.

But would the SFA really be able to increase his wages considerably? He's on £500k at the moment and with a few years left on his contract there would be a fair wedge of compo required on top of that.

Personally, I don't see it happening, but also don't feel it's wild to suggest that it may interest him.

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Because the SFA could probably quadruple his wages, and if NI fail in the play-offs, he may feel he's done all he can there, and because he lives in Scotland. Unusually, I think you're off the mark on this one.

As has been said, Scotland have raided Saints twice before for a manager.

As has been said, Tommy is brilliant in making no more than decent players over-achieve.

Personally I'd be delitit. It's the one job Tommy could go to where I'd still get to support him,

Not convinced the SFA could significantly better O'Neill's wages, and if getting a big pay increase was really his aim, wouldn't he just go for one of the club jobs down south that he keeps getting linked to? Sadly I just don't think Scotland has the pulling power to poach/attract a Northern Ireland manager - in a lot of ways it's a downward step.

With Tommy Wright - totally appreciate Scotland have raided Saints before for managers, but that was a long time ago (over 40 years ago) and hasn't happened in the modern era. I think the days when they'd simply look at who's doing a good job with a Scottish club and offer it to them have gone. I think they'll want someone who they consider to be more of a "name" in their eyes - which to them basically means someone who has the Old Firm on their CV and has managed a large-ish English club.

I do agree that Tommy's strength is in getting below-average players to perform above themselves, but at the same time he's not big on youth development and I'm not sure he's the man to build a new Scotland team by looking to up-and-coming talent. I hope the SFA think that too because I want him to stay right where he is!

 

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Yeh, have to agree with some of that. I'd no idea NI paid that much. On losing Tommy though, it's going to happen eventually, and getting the Scotland (or Norn Irn) job means we can celebrate his departure, not have to watch him bringing another team to McD. 

Malky McKay has got the gig for the upcoming friendly. That's fine, but I really, really hope they don't give him the job full time. It's one thing being a crap team, but a crap racist team.....

 

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The results certainly picked up once he got involved :wink:

Think he'll be kept on as part of the setup under the new manager? I remember when he was brought on board Strachan spoke as if he was a stranger to him ("We had a meeting to make sure we know each other"), so I wonder who actually made the decision to introduce him to the coaching team.

 

 

Edited by Kevin James Is On Stilts
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