Angry McGhee still loves a challenge – but not as a boss
Mark McGhee won’t be back as a manager in Scotland because he’s disgusted by the way he was treated.
But the former Motherwell boss says another international job with Gordon Strachan would be Yankee Doodle Dandy!
McGhee ( 60) lost his job as Scotland assistant manager when Strachan was axed last year.
But it’s a six- match touchline ban imposed on him after he’d left Motherwell that really hurts.
The SFA punished him for a clash with officials during a 7- 2 defeat by Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
He was sent to the stand and had an angry exchange with a supporter.
McGhee said: “I want to be doing other stuff rather than managing a footballing team.
“The last experience I had in Scotland with the six-match ban just sickened me.
“The way I was treated was unfair and disgusting. It did me in.
“I could manage down south where the ban didn’t stand, but it left me tired of it.
“I was fed up being subject to the whim of people.
“I didn’t feel I deserved to be treated that way.
“I could never have imagined myself feeling this way.
“I have managed 960- odd games, but it doesn’t matter to me now.
“I try not to dwell on it, but if I start thinking about it then I become almost angry about what happened and the way I was treated by the game up here.
“But I don’t lie awake at night thinking about the people who did it to me!”
McGhee recently left a job as Technical Director at Barnet.
He is now doing broadcasting work and acting as a football consultant.
Work has included being in Barcelona helping with an Esports project and he has been involved with the finance of a new club in India.
The former Aberdeen and Celtic striker says he’s always been open to new experiences in the game.
He went on: “I remember when I went to Millwall, they had a certain reputation and while I was there we had problems.
“But for me that was part of the attraction.
“When I went to Hamburg as a player it was the same.
“I could have gone to Italy for a lot more money, but they had won the European Cup the year before and the city had a reputation that was exciting to me.
“I’ve always liked those sort of challenges.”
His old mate Gordon Strachan has recently been linked with jobs in England’s Championship, but McGhee’s not sure that will hold much appeal.
He said: “I think it’s not impossible th a t another international job might interest him.
“I’ve not had this discussion with Gordon, I’m only saying it because I know him.
“I would say another international job would suit him fine. I keep looking at the USA job and thinking ‘ he’s perfect for it’. I don’t know why they’re not banging his door down.
“He loves going to America and has a lot of friends there.”