THISTLE CHIEF LANDS TOP JOB
GORDON SMITH believes Ian Maxwell will make an impression as the new SFA chief executive if he can unite the Hampden factions and grasp the nettle of league reconstruction.
The 42-year-old Partick Thistle director will succeed Stewart Regan at the SFA come the end of the season and has promised to “shape a better future” for our game.
And Smith – who held the position from 2007 to 2010 – said: “The main thing Ian has to do in his role as chief executive is unite the factions within the SFA.
“Some people believe the game is structured towards the SPFL.
“They feel the SFA do not wield enough strength or power within the game and they don’t have a great say in the way the game is run. Ian has to come in then try to bring those various parties together.
“He has to try to get some kind of organisational structure in place so everybody can see that all the decisions made are for the betterment of Scottish football.
“Those decisions won’t suit everybody but Ian has to try to make everybody understand there is a reason for taking them and that it is always to develop and progress the Scottish game.
“Project Brave has caused some problems with member clubs and he will need to keep right on top of that from the moment he walks in the door. He has a football and administrative background now and that is a crucial element for this role.
“It will serve him well in order for him to understand how the people at different levels of the game think from grassroots football right up to the top.
“When I was chief executive I made a point of speaking to everybody within the SFA corridors. I spoke to BY ANTHONY HAGGERTY the amateurs, the juniors, and those involved with ladies football. It was a question of uniting everybody.
“I tried to make them understand every decision taken was to improve the game in this country. Ultimately it is a balancing act and Ian will soon learn the job is all about trying to keep everybody happy.
“He has been involved in the game at different levels as a player for a long time before going into the administration side at a lower level with Partick Thistle.
“He knows the game inside out. The SFA will have conducted their due diligence on him and he will have been for his interviews as well.
“They have clearly identified Ian as having the qualities required in order to be successful.
“He certainly has the personality and character required to do well in the role.”
The 63-year-old former Rangers and Brighton striker, now a football pundit, also reckons Maxwell can cash in on the growing appetite for league reconstruction within Scottish football.
Smith was foiled in his own plans to bring about changes in the league structure during his stint at the National Stadium.
But he believes Maxwell could well be the man to help Scotland embrace a new dawn.
Smith’s proposals were to introduce two top leagues of 16 plus regionalised Leagues One and Two which would allow Premiership teams to field their ‘B’ teams.
He insists Maxwell was always very receptive to the proposals during his time at Firhill and believed they were worth exploring.
Smith said: “When I was SFA chief executive I made recommendations regarding the restructuring of Scottish football. “Hopefully Ian is now in the position to take those plans further down the line and possibly implement them at some stage. “My plans were to have two top leagues – a Scottish Premiership and a Championship – comprising of 16 teams and regional-based Leagues One and Two. “League One and Two would be North and South-based leagues with the caveat that the Premiership ‘B’ sides were able to take part. “I felt introducing ‘B’ sides into those leagues would help the development of young players in this country. “It would also be a financial boost to the lower-league clubs if they played in a regional division. “If you look around the lower leagues in Europe – so-called ‘B’ teams from the top-flight sides compete in Holland, Germany Spain and Italy – so why not in Scotland? “It is time that we looked at implementing something like this in our country.
“Myself and Ian have held good discussions on this matter and he always seemed very receptive.
“He felt that the proposals for league reconstruction were worth looking at.
“Hopefully in his new role he can look at restructuring Scottish football and take things forward.
“I would like to see him carry on that baton. All of these changes would be to the benefit of Scottish football.”
GORDON SMITH