The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Hunt goes on as O’Neill says no
Top target turns down chance to take over the reins at Hampden
Three months after they parted company with Gordon Strachan, the SFA will have to go back to the drawing board to replace him.
No 1 target Michael O’Neill has turned Scotland down and the only timescale put on finding someone else is the start of the new Nations League competition in the autumn.
The SFA identified Northern Ireland boss O’Neill as their preferred candidate soon after letting Strachan go, but the weeks turned into months before they were granted permission by their IFA counterparts to speak to him.
Chief executive Stewart Regan hasn’t been able to persuade the former Dundee United and St Johnstone player to switch jobs, however.
O’Neill released a statement, saying: “Having given the matter a great deal of thought and consideration, I have decided not to take up the opportunity to become the next Scotland national team manager.
“It’s a huge honour to be offered the position, however I do not feel that this is the right opportunity for me at this moment in my career.
“I would like to place on record my gratitude to the SFA for the very professional manner in which they conducted negotiations and I would also like to wish them every success for the future.”
The SFA subsequently put out their own statement.
In it, Regan said: “The process of identifying and recruiting a new Scotland national coach remains ongoing.
“The board of the Scottish FA appointed a sub-committee to oversee the recruitment process, compile a list of suitable candidates and ultimately make a recommendation.
“As part of that process, and in recognition of his work in taking Northern Ireland to Uefa Euro 2016, Michael O’Neill was identified as an obvious candidate for consideration.
“To that end, we requested permission to speak to Michael from the Irish Football Association, which was accepted. Michael and his advisers met our delegation in Edinburgh on Thursday and discussed all aspects of the role during a three-hour meeting.
“While this was a positive and cordial discussion, we respect Michael’s decision to remain loyal to Northern Ireland, with whom he has enjoyed great success.
“We wish him well in his future endeavours and thank the Irish FA for their professionalism throughout.
“We now continue our recruitment process from the candidate list established by the selection committee, with a view to giving the new national coach ample time to prepare the squad for the Uefa Nations League.”
The news will be welcomed by St Johnstone fans, as Tommy Wright would have been the strong favourite to take over from O’Neill at Windsor Park had he decided to quit Northern Ireland.