GET YOUR FINGER OUT AND GET US A GAFFER
BROONIE’S MESSAGE FOR SFA CHIEF REGAN..
SCOTLAND captain Scott Brown has demanded SFA chief executive Stewart Regan “gets the finger out” and appoints a new boss quickly.
The Hampden chief claimed he could wait until next June before hiring Gordon Strachan’s successor but Brown insists that would be
“silly”. Regan has been given permission by the IFA to speak to Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill but he has since emerged as the favourite to take over at West Brom after Tony Pulis was sacked yesterday.
Brown is keen to hold talks with the new boss over his own international future and see if he fits into his plans.
But with international friendly dates only available in March and June before the Euro 2020 qualifiers kick off, Brown believes the SFA must act quickly.
The Celtic captain was gutted to see Strachan axed and is now desperate to know who will be charged with the task of trying to end a 22-year absence from the major international stage.
Brown said: “Michael O’Neill’s done a great job at Northern Ireland taking them to the Euros, so he’d be good if that’s the man they’re going to go for.
“But they need to get the finger out a little bit and get the man sorted out because there’s not a lot of time between now and the start of the qualifiers.
“We’ve only got three games so we need to make sure the manager knows who he is going to play so that we’re not just going right in, and we have momentum going into the first game.”
On Regan saying they could take eight months to decide, Brown said: “That’s just silly to wait. It’s common sense to get the man in as soon as possible.
“Here’s hoping they go and get someone quite quickly and they can get settled in.”
Brown was included in interim boss Malky Mackay’s squad for last week’s friendly with Holland but was ruled out with an injury.
He quit Scotland at the start of the last season before making a U-turn and is open to adding to his 55 caps. Brown said: “I’m looking forward to seeing who comes in and having a good chat and I’ll just go from there. So whether he is wanting a young team or whether he is wanting a couple of old veterans, you never know.
“I’ve got until March to see and he might not want me in the team. I don’t want to say I’m available then he patches me. The two of us will sit down and decide what’s best for the country.
“He might want a team that just sits in and defends for 90 minutes, or he might want a team like Gordon had in the last five or six games that play good, attractive, attacking football.
“You look at our young ones coming through and we’ve still got top-quality players like Darren Fletcher and James Morrison playing down in England as well.
“That brings a bit of experience to the squad and shows the young players the sort of level they can aim for.
“Malky asked me to play and I was happy enough to play. I enjoy playing for Scotland. It’s always a great occasion, especially in Aberdeen where I have some fond memories.
“Gordon gave me my captaincy there so I was delighted but I had a wee niggle and didn’t want to play through it then miss the next three or four games.
“But Malky was great to work with and he did really well for those few days, so it’s really appreciated.”
Kieran Tierney took Brown’s armband for the Dutch defeat and the midfielder reckons he’s perfect for the role when he does quit Scotland.
The 32-year-old said: “The wee man was phenomenal. It was one of the best performances I’ve seen from a young kid coming through and captaining his country.
“He’s definitely the man for the job after me. Everybody looks up to him because of his will to win in training and in games.”