The last two appointments by Mark McGhee to managerial appointments at Bristol Rovers and Aberdeen have left a blot on Mr. McGhee’s CV, and he knows it. The newest appointee Gordon Strachan knows that his job as Scotland’s number 2 won’t be easy, and that he’ll have questions to answer to rebuild confidence.
The announcement from McGhee came from Hampden, and he stated that his recent picks that became managerial failures haven’t dampened his confidence going forward. To show this, he directly challenged the assertion from Stewart Regan, SFA chief executive, that the goal of the new management team is to prevent Scotland from finishing last in the World Cup.
He said that his goals for the team are not even close to finishing last, and that wasn’t even part of this thought process. Rather he said he was aiming quite a bit higher. In the end, it comes down to the players, and they have matured, McGhee said. He cited Craig Levein as an example, and said that there is a growing nucleus of players who are playing at an ever higher level and continue to improve.
While he’s used to be the one in complete charge, he is okay with his role under Strachan. Anyone who knows McGhee, knows that he wants to have his say, but he understands that Gordon is the manager. According to him, he’ll do his job to support and counsel as best he can.
Then he clarified by saying that it wouldn’t be actually like giving Gordon advice. It would be more like giving of information or intelligence. Following in the vein of spy terminology, he also said that his job would be to soak up all kinds of information about opposing teams and players and present this to Gordon in a neat and orderly dossier.