TOMMY Wright says Michael O’Neill never mentioned the Scotland job when the pair spoke on Wednesday but feels the Northern Ireland manager has earned the right to consider his future.
The Scottish Football Association made an official approach to its counterparts in Belfast on Wednesday for permission to speak to O’Neill, who has emerged as the leading candidate to succeed Gordon Strachan as Scotland manager.
Wright worked in O’Neill’s coaching team before focusing on his role as St Johnstone manager and is surprised his former Newcastle and Northern Ireland team-mate has not been poached by a major club after guiding his country to the last 16 of last summer’s European Championship.
O’Neill has also been linked with vacant posts at Sunderland, Rangers and the United States after taking Northern Ireland to the World Cup play-offs, but Wright believes the Irish Football Association will fight hard to keep its manager.
Wright said yesterday: “I spoke to Michael at length (on Wednesday) and the Scotland job never came up in conversation but it is well documented that Scotland feel that he is their preferred choice and have made contact with the IFA I believe.
“If that’s true I don’t think the IFA will give up lightly, I think they will do everything in their powers to keep Michael because the job he has done with Northern Ireland is incredible. And if you look at the job he has done I find it baffling that he hasn’t had a club move out of that before now.
“But it is evident with what he has done with Northern Ireland, he would be able to bring that to the table with Scotland.”
Wright is unsure what O’Neill would do if offered the Scotland job.
“I genuinely don’t know what he would do,” he said. “He has to sit and look at what challenge he wants next, whether it is the challenge to get Northern Ireland into another Euros or a challenge to have a fresh start at club level or international level – that will be his decision.
“But what he has done for Northern Ireland, he deserves the right to make that decision.”
Another former member of O’Neill’s backroom team, Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson, also feels the Northern Ireland boss would have a major impact with Scotland but has no idea whether he would accept the challenge.
Robinson, who stepped down as Northern Ireland assistant after Euro 2016, said: “He has about 35/36 players to choose from, four or five from the Premier League and the rest made up from League Two and our leagues – what he’s done with that amount of players and achieved has been incredible.
“If you’re sitting on an international board, he’d be at the forefront of your mind most definitely.
“What Scotland have is a bigger pool of players and a professional league in the country, a massive support and massive media attention, whereas Northern Ireland is a part-time league and we don’t have the pool of players. Scotland have improved in the last few months. I cant speak for Michael, but there’s obviously a lot of potential.
“He’s a shrewd cookie, Michael, so I know whatever he does will be the right decision,” Robinson added.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here