Mackay wouldn’t say no to Scots job

MALKY MACKAY says he would find it impossible to resist an invitation to become Scotland manager full-time but admits it would mean abandoning his role as SFA performance director. Deeply invested in the Project Brave plans he has been overseeing for the past ten months, the former Cardiff City boss would like to see through a complete overhaul of the nation’s youth football. However, appointed as interim head coach for next week’s Pittodrie

friendly with Holland following Gordon Strachan’s departure, Mackay insisted yesterday that the two high-profile roles can’t be combined. Currently the bookmakers’ second favourite for the national team job, he said: ‘What Scottish manager wouldn’t take the Scotland job? It’s ludicrous to say that. ‘So I’m not being false in that. I’ve got a job, I’m in a job. The board have a decision to make on where they want to go with that. But my day job has been put on hold for a month.’ Asked about the possibility of adding what is effectively a part-time coaching job to his performance director duties, Mackay insisted: ‘No, I don’t think so. I’m in charge of seven teams right now, not including the national side, so I’m actually in charge of eight right now. ‘I’ve got a variety of managers and teams out all around Europe right now, and whoever is doing the performance director’s role, the task is to look at strategy and to look ahead, see where we can be innovative and where we can go. ‘I’m in this job for the next couple of weeks and I’m proud to have been asked to do this for the next couple of weeks. ‘But I’ve got a job at the moment. I’m the performance director. And the two of them are separate at this time. ‘Last month I was in eight countries in four weeks. Last week I was down at Llanelli with our Under-17s, in Estonia with them, then in Ireland with the Victory Shied team. So, there is a big job I’ve got on my own. ‘And this is a nice, lovely little distraction I have at the moment — and it takes up my whole focus, don’t worry about that. ‘I’m just looking at the next couple of weeks, looking after this team. ‘After that I go back to my own job — and then it’s up to the board to decide what they want to do after that. It’s not my decision.’