No Joshing, Michael’s the man for Scots

HERE are two words for anyone who says Michael O’Neill isn’t the man for Scotland – Josh Magennis.

The SFA’s move for the Ulsterman has pleased most of the country but some aren’t sure.

It is felt he doesn’t play the right way, bases his game on defence and only had success with Northern Ireland due to an English Premier League back four – which he won’t have with Scotland.

Fair enough but that’s to forget other key aspects and the fact he’s a master at making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

You don’t qualify for tournaments or win games without anyone to score. O’Neill had nothing up front when he started so he had to find people.

Anyone who saw Magennis at Kilmarnock would have laughed if you had said he’d become an international star.

Yet O’Neill made him. He trusted him, gave him confidence. And he came up trumps.

You can put Kyle Lafferty into that bracket in another way. He was in and out of clubs, unable to get a regular game.

Yet whenever he met up with O’Neill, it was like he donned a cape. The manager also nurtured Connor Washington. He found a way.

Scotland might not have a backline like the Irish but who says O’Neill can’t make one.

He could look at John Souttar and Ross McCrorie and think: “I’ll make sure one of them develops into a partner for Kieran Tierney.”

Does that sound far-fetched? Well it’s not as bizarre as thinking Magennis would be an international star.

That tells you what O’Neill can do with limited resources.

If the SFA get their man it’s going to cause a pre-Christmas merry-go-round.

Rangers have also to fill their vacant post and, if O’Neill and Derek McInnes are the chosen ones, card houses will start tumbling. The only man to replace O’Neill is Tommy Wright and how he will deserve it, given the fabulous work he has done at McDiarmid Park.

If McInnes goes to Rangers that’ll leave Aberdeen’s Stewart Milne in the same boat as Steve Brown will be in Perth. Hunting the paddles to get them up poop creek.

Again, why shouldn’t McInnes get the chance? Rangers have been trailing in his wake and if they get him the Dons will have their pick of candidates in Scotland.

McInnes will leave a fantastic set-up for any new boss and the compensation of around £800,000 will make negotiations easy.

St Mirren could then be in the firing line. The work Jack Ross has done there has been fabulous.

He’s young, inventive, vibrant and the Dons don’t have a bad track record when it comes to nabbing an

Whenever Lafferty joined up with O’Neill it was like he donned a cape

up-and-coming young manager from St Mirren.

Saints will then go to the lower leagues, causing another club a problem. Unless of course they could tempt Jim McIntyre.

Brown might do something similar but what chance them giving a go to Dave Mackay?

This guy was the life and soul of the club during his time in Perth and has done an apprenticeship at Stirling Albion.

There are going to be chairman left wondering if someone has nicked their Santa list.

But at Hampden, getting O’Neill would be like Christmas come early. Magennis is your living proof.