I knew as an old Rangers player it would be easy to call me biased
GORDON SMITH was SFA chief executive for three years and admitted his former connection with Rangers as a player gave his critics a stick to hit him.
But the man who was at the Hampden helm from 2007-2010 is adamant the criticism was water off a duck’s back – because he’d got used it in earlier years as a BBC pundit.
Smith said: “I remember people criticising me at the BBC, saying I was pro-Rangers.
“There was one time when I said on the radio that Shota Arveladze had a better goalscoring record for Rangers than Henrik Larsson did for Celtic.
“The point I was making was goals per game but that was turned into me saying Arveladze was a better player than Larsson, which couldn’t be further from the truth!
“But hundreds of complaints came in by phone and email.
“I made a joke on air that I would get criticised if I said Walter Smith was taller than Gordon Strachan. I’d be called antiCeltic for saying that.
“That’s life in Scotland – you can’t win and I knew it would be like that when I went to the SFA.
“So when it happened it was no surprise to me and didn’t bother me in the slightest.
“I knew I was objective and, even as a pundit, I believe I always have been.
“I’ve never been biased towards Rangers or any club. I was the same at the SFA.”
So would he step back into the pressure cooker of football at the age of 65?
Smith added: “It depends. A lot of time your age goes against you.
“If the right position came up I would consider it. Definitely.”
When it happened it was no surprise. It didn’t bother me in the slightest
GORDON SMITH