'It was me who left, so I have had my shot' insists Walter Smith

Published on Friday 20 November 2009 22:53

WALTER Smith believes he relinquished any prospect of a second spell as Scotland manager on the day he walked away from the job almost three years ago.

The Rangers manager yesterday formally ruled himself out of the running to replace George Burley at the helm of the national team, speaking publicly on the issue only in an attempt to end media speculation linking him with the position.

Smith made it clear he has no expectations of an approach from the SFA over the coming weeks but would not be receptive to one if it came. The 61-year-old's Scotland tenure, from December 2004 to January 2007, was a marked success which saw him drag the international side from 87th to 25th in the Fifa World Rankings. But Smith is clearly appreciative of the view held by a section of Scotland supporters who disapproved of his decision to resign from the job in order to return to Rangers.

"I enjoyed my time with Scotland, but it was me who made the conscious decision to leave," said Smith. "So I feel as though I have had my shot at it. That's it as far as I'm concerned. It's not something I would go back and do, given it was my decision to leave. Sometimes, when you get the sack from a job it is easier to go back. But when you leave of your own volition, it's not so easy.

"Personally, I don't think you should rule yourself out until you are actually asked. And I have not been asked to go back. But, in fairness to everybody, there has been a level of speculation surrounding me and I just want to clarify my position."

While removing his potential candidacy, Smith remains convinced the post of Scotland manager is still a highly attractive one where success is not outwith the reach of the right man. He spoke with warmth yesterday of his own experience in the role.

"I really did enjoy the job," he added. "It is a big challenge, a huge job, I don't think there is any doubt about that. But I think there will always be people out there willing to accept that challenge. When I was there, the SFA let me get on with the job with no interference in any way, shape or form. They were excellent to work with. I'm sure that whoever gets the job will find that is the case as well.

"I think there is a lot of doom and gloom surrounding it at the moment because the situation is results orientated. But, if you take away the recent World Cup campaign and look at the previous European Championship one, Scotland almost came through a group which could not have been any harder.

"We acquitted ourselves well then but, for whatever reason, didn't do that in the World Cup campaign. George himself would be disappointed by that. But as far as the job is concerned, I do believe Scotland have a decent level of player. They have an opportunity to improve and challenge again in the next campaign. Look at the Republic of Ireland, who came so close to qualifying, and even Northern Ireland who had an excellent campaign. Scotland are more than capable of being up there."

SFA chief executive Gordon Smith this week outlined "experience, authority and reputation" as three key qualities the next Scotland manager should have. But while that appears to point to an older candidate ready to forego the day-to-day involvement of club football, Walter Smith feels age is not necessarily a significant factor.

"Everyone says when you are getting near the end of your career that you are better suited to international management," he said. "For me, that didn't matter because I was at a latter stage of my career when I got the Scotland job and missing the day-to-day stuff was still a slight frustration.

"But, for whoever takes the job, that's what it involves. And I must say that when the times come around for games to played, the intensity under which you have to operate is as big, if not bigger, that anything you will get as a club manager. Whoever takes the job will know all about that.

"I took over at a time when things were down for Scotland and I would hope everyone would agree that we managed to lift the team and everyone else's spirits. That was a big thing for me.

"The time I spent as Scotland manager ranks with the most enjoyable times of my career. It's just difficult to place it, given there was nothing tangible at the end of it other than an improvement in the overall fortunes."