SFA voted for George Burley over Souness for the scotland job

[uneasydaz]

GORDON SMITH has revealed he was overruled by the SFA board when he tried to appoint Graeme Souness – with George Burley ending up in the hot seat.

The organisation’s former chief executive wanted the Rangers and Liverpool legend to lead the national team after Alex McLeish left for Birmingham.

But his plans were scuppered when Hampden blazers vetoed the move for Souness and instead backed a swoop for Burley, who was with Southampton at the time.

The ex-Hearts gaffer had a disastrous spell as Scotland boss and the infamous Boozegate scandal happened on his watch

Smith told Open Goal’s Si Ferry: “I thought I was able to choose the manager being the chief executive but I wasn’t.

“George Burley was one of my candidates but not my first choice.

It would’ve been Graeme Souness. He came along for an interview.

But it went to the board…it was basically that he didn’t conform to what they were wanting.

So George Burley became the strong candidate. He’d done well at Hearts and he was now with Southampton.”

But the other contenders for the post were left furious when it was leaked to the media that Burley was to become Scotland manager.

Smith said: “I hadn’t even informed the others because if I couldn’t agree a fee for George Burley [with Southampton], that was ruling him out.

Unfortunately what happened was the press got word, it was leaked out and the other candidates were annoyed by the fact they hadn’t been told they weren’t getting it.”

 

[ClockworkOrange]

That would certainly have been interesting.

Saying that, Souness was done as a manager by the end of his time at Blackburn and Newcastle. Maybe international football management would have suited him more.

 

[Rt. Hon. Bearman]

The blazers couldn’t handle Souness, that’s what it boils down to.

People slag off successive Scotland managers and players but more than anything else the national team’s problem are the idiots running it.

 

[uneasydaz]

That would certainly have been interesting.

Saying that, Souness was done as a manager by the end of his time at Blackburn and Newcastle. Maybe international football management would have suited him more.

Surley he would have done a hell of a lot better than Burley

 

[yosser hughes]

not sure souness at that time would have been considered a great deal better than burley in respects to the job if I'm being honest

 

[Kennyr]

Burleys stock was pretty high back then. Done a cracking job with hearts till romanov started interfering

 

[47blue]

Who were they???

 

[Strathblue]

not sure souness at that time would have been considered a great deal better than burley in respects to the job if I'm being honest

Really ? Souness is and always will be a far superior manager to that wee ,alkie, and I am sure would have surpassed him on the international front.

Men against boys.

 

[DJ Blue]

As long as we have dinosaurs like Petrie and MacRae in charge we are going nowhere.

 

[Barclay the Bear]

As long as we have dinosaurs like Petrie and MacRae in charge we are going nowhere.

Disagree we'll keep going down

 

[BobbyShearer]

Souness struggled with players who didn’t match his expectations regarding attitude and ability.

Him in charge of that lot would have been a fucking riot.

 

[Deckard]

The SFA is polluted by incompetent mentally challengeds. I have no doubts their next appointment will be a rabid.

 

[yosser hughes]

Really ? Souness is and always will be a far superior manager to that wee ,alkie, and I am sure would have surpassed him on the international front.

Men against boys.

at the time of this appointment, burley had a reasonably decent pedigree in club management,souness, on the other hand, was on a gradual decline, and probably was since he left us, I have no doubt other factors came into play within the sfa regarding souness at the time though

 

[JeffreySpaulding]

Obviously didn't want 3 ex-Rangers managers in a row.

 

[Ayrshire Bear]

I hope sounds never lowers himself to having anything to do with them or their stinking job

 

[Grimsdale]

They voted and chose...no issues with this.

 

[dh1963]

I don't know if Graeme's heart could gave taken it if they played as badly as under Burley.

 

[im_a_good_bluenose]

Burleys reign was when I personally lost interest in the national side. To bring on iwulomu or whatever his name was in front of Boyd who was on fire for rangers at the time when chasing a vital goal proved to me he was out his depth at that level. The fact the khunt missed an open goal from about ten inches merely compounded that

 

[Kaba]

The blazers couldn’t handle Souness, that’s what it boils down to.

People slag off successive Scotland managers and players but more than anything else the national team’s problem are the idiots running it.

It's crazy because near enough everyone agrees with this statement but nothing will change.

 

[Papasmurf]

‘He didn’t conform to what they wanted’

Interesting choice of words

 

[top_cat]

I fully expect the mediocrity to continue for years to come.