Ian wants to salve Scotland’s 20-year itch
He played at Hampden Park for five years.
But Ian Maxwell says being the SFA’S chief executive when the country run out at the ground in Euro 2020 would top everything that has gone before.
Newly appointed to the post, the former general manager of Partick Thistle has shunned the chance to go on the end-of-season tour to Peru and Mexico, staying behind to get to grips with the practicalities of the role.
“I think understanding the business is the first port of call for me,” said the one-time Queen’s Park defender.
“The SFA is a complex organisation with lots of different strands to it.
“It’s about me getting my teeth into it – how we do things, why we do things, what we do things for and making sure that what we do is done the right way, or the best way.
“I am not talking big changes. It is the difference between fixing things, and things you would do slightly differently.
“In a lot of cases, things aren’t necessarily broken – just in need of a tweak or two.
“And there are also instant matters I know we need to deal with, as there are some big issues coming up.”
There are, indeed, with the findings of the Independent Review Of Sexual Abuse In Scottish football due over the summer, and a decision required on whether to stay on at Hampden beyond 2020, or flit to Murrayfield.
It is the thought of the football experiences ahead, however, which bring a smile to Maxwell’s face, specifically the prospect of Scotland ending their decades-long wait to reach a major Finals.
“Listen, I would love to be the chief executive when we qualify for a tournament,” admiited the 43-year-old. “That would be an incredible thing. “To be involved with Scotland playing in the Euro Finals in Glasgow would be something you’d look back on forever.
“Just as importantly, it would really change the mood and the appetite around the country for the Association, and for the Scottish national team as a whole.”
Maxwell makes no attempt to position himself as a member of the Tartan Army, who just happens to be working for the SFA.
Instead, he stresses the impact the fortunes of the Scotland side have on the country as a whole.
“I have always been a big fan of Scottish football,” he said.
“In terms of the national team, I remember France 98.
“Simon Donnelly was there as part of the squad, then I played with him at St Johnstone.
“I also knew him from Queen’s Park, so there was always a connection.
“And, listen, you remember playing out the back with your brother when the World Cup was on, and all those sorts of things.
‘That’s what we need to get back to a major Finals.
“My son is 17 in July. He’d love nothing more than Scotland to get to a Finals because he’s never actually even thought about it.
“He thinks it was back when everything was in black and white!
“It would be incredible for everyone working at Hampden, and the nation as a whole, to have that focus and opportunity to look forward to a tournament.
“Everyone talks about the Tartan Army going to these tournaments, and the impact we have as a country because of the support we’ve got for the national team.”
The new chief executive’s most-recent football viewing was watching Partick Thistle’s painful slide into the Championship.
But he has also kept a close eye on the national team – and liked what he has seen to the extent of being bullish on the subject.
“I genuinely do believe that with the current squad – with the new manager, Alex Mcleish, in place – and the Nations League opportunity as well as the traditional qualifying route, we have a real chance of getting to Euro 2020,” said Maxwell.
“It’s in Scotland. There are games in Glasgow.
“For there to be games out there involving us would be unbelievable.”