STARTING OVER AGAIN HERE ARE THE MAIN CONTENDERS FOR TOP JOB...
IT’S back to the drawing board for the SFA and Stewart Regan following Michael O’Neill’s decision to turn down the chance to be the new Scotland manager. Here, Sportsmail’s Brian Marjoribanks looks at a few other candidates to succeed Gordon Strachan... and a couple of contenders who are no longer available.
STEVE CLARKE
The highly-respected former West Brom and Reading boss has been a revelation since taking over at Kilmarnock in October. When the 54-year-old arrived at Rugby Park, the team were bottom of the league and they are now in the top six. That’s the kind of overachievement needed for the Scotland international team.
DEREK McINNES
The 46-year-old has established Aberdeen as the Scottish Premiership’s second force and has turned down chances to manage Sunderland and Rangers. But he is likely to see his immediate future in international management.
NEIL LENNON
Coaching a team to punch above their weight doesn’t get much more impressive than Celtic beating Lionel Messi’s Barcelona in the Champions League in 2012. Lennon has proved himself a fine manager at Parkhead and Hibernian and the SFA have shown they are not averse to going down the Northern Irish route.
ALEX McLEISH
His first spell in charge of Scotland was short but sweet with a 62.5 per cent win ratio in competitive matches, including a James McFadden-inspired 1-0 victory over World Cup runners-up France in Paris back in 2007. Former Scotland boss Craig Brown recently tipped the ex-Rangers and Aston Villa manager as the ideal go-to guy if the O’Neill deal fell through.
MALKY MACKAY
The former Watford, Cardiff and Wigan boss took caretaker charge of Scotland for their friendly defeat against Holland at Pittodrie in November. The 45-year-old found out before the game while listening to a radio interview with Regan that he would not be considered as a candidate. But in the wake of the botched O’Neill bid, could the SFA’s performance director with a controversial past step up to the top job?