Loss of confidence gave Gordon McKie no other option

Exiting chief no longer had support of Scots rugby community

LIKE a coach who has stayed at the helm of a team for too long, Gordon McKie yesterday quit as chief executive of the Scottish Rugby Union after accepting that his presence was no longer required at Murrayfield.

The sound of his voice no longer had the desired response and those moving against him in the dressing room and the boardroom were now heading into the majority.

After The Scotsman lifted the lid last Thursday on the simmering tensions within Murrayfield, which had led to a request from a board member for the suspension of McKie, the SRU board chairman Allan Munro attempted to play it down by insisting that there were no issues and the extra meeting "simply demonstrates that the governance model of our game in Scotland is absolutely sound and is rightly held in high regard by other governing bodies".

It was a strange statement, one that strived to underline backing for the executives and pour oil on "unhelpful media speculation", but only led to further questioning of why the meeting had been called if all was well.

It was in fact a defeat for McKie, as it showed that the board members were happy with the governance of the SRU ahead of next week's agm which will mark the handover of the chairmanship from Munro, a close ally, to the incoming Sir Moir Lockhead, who had attended the previous two board meetings as part of his familiarisation of the SRU - and had asked uncomfortable questions.

Whether McKie felt threatened or piqued by suggestions that Sir Moir would question exisiting policies, he was clearly unhappy about what was happening, but he ran out of allies inside and outside the boardroom. His position became untenable.

Just as McKie's success stemmed from finance, his problems did too. They moved from a series of controversial cost-cutting decisions to the refusal in 2006-7 to accept offers to invest in the then three professional teams, and then become embroiled in a farce of ownership with a consortium that ended in tears; from arguments with coaches over who they should and should not sign to the row over the scrapping of the SRU President's Suite as an Edinburgh supporters 'clubhouse'; from refusal to sell tickets on matchdays to a reluctance to work closely with London Scottish and grasp their value to Scottish rugby.

Some decisions could undoubtedly be argued in favour of and every CEO needs to have the hide of a rhino at times to push change, but at the heart of McKie's problems lay two clear issues: the lack of ideas on how rugby in Scotland could improve, and the style of management favoured by McKie and his finance director, and long-time business partner, Eamon Hegarty.

They became as responsible as each other in the lead-up to this week's resignation, no-one particularly clear on which was the aspect that had caused most upset. There can be no doubt that McKie did much that was good for Scottish rugby. He came into the organisation at a time of unprecedented strife, debts mounting, player salaries spiraling, club rugby struggling and income falling. The coup which brought about the resignations of chairman David Mackay and CEO Phil Anderton in January, 2005, would have wider ramifications and lead to sponsors questioning their investments and the Scottish Government calling in the SRU hierarchy for explanations. There was little faith in what the SRU stood for.

That has changed significantly over the past six years and much of that turnaround has stemmed from the financial control that McKie and Hegarty, their staff and board, have brought to the running of the game. With the debt reduced to 15m, however that has been achieved, and spending brought down, there is stronger support now possibly than ever before from government and Sportscotland.

Murrayfield has been upgraded at significant cost, the tough decision of closing a professional team was taken - albeit whether it was the right one remains a moot point - and while the professional teams struggle financially they still receive close to 5m gross investment each, which is more than six years ago. The best move McKie made in what has been his weaker side, that of the rugby itself, was hiring Andy Robinson as first Edinburgh coach and then Scotland chief. However, there are reasons why the Scottish game has struggled under his watch and why he lacks supporters now.

Those who suggest it unfair to blame McKie for the lack of rugby strategy are either unaware or choose to ignore the fact he appointed people able and willing to help him draw up and drive the strategy, but did not pursue many of their suggestions.

The five-year strategic review was the latest example where much work had been put into a new strategy to be launched at the turn of the year, but this was postponed. More work was demanded by McKie and duly produced with the publication date set for March. However, McKie then announced to the media that he was halting it again and sending the authors, staff throughout the SRU, back to the drawing board as a direct result of Scotland's failure to win more than one game in the Six Nations. At the same time, he absolved Scotland coach Robinson of any blame, instead lambasting the efforts of the professional players when in Glasgow and Edinburgh jerseys.

It was an example of where McKie got rugby badly wrong. His lack of knowledge of the game, and what it takes to compete at the top, did not sit well with his willingness to pass comment on those who were putting their bodies on the line in the name of Scottish rugby.

Some have stated that it is too simplistic to castigate one man for all the ills in Scottish rugby, and of course it is. As stated, McKie and Hegarty brought slick accounting practises to the SRU at a time when the banks were fearing an implosion, but the Scottish Rugby Union cannot survive on text book business principles alone. Once the figures had been brought under control, the game had to be grown. It has not even stagnated; it has gone backwards.

McKie could also have helped himself more than he did. For example, he was invited as a guest every year to the Melrose Sevens, with all the hospitality red carpet the Borders club insist on for SRU bigwigs, but every year he declined. It is a very small complaint in the grand scheme of Scottish rugby, but it goes to the heart of his image problem.

He worked extremely hard, but asked at the turn of the year whether he still felt he could make a difference, he told The Scotsman: "In a normal business I've been in, I've fixed it, made it healthy again and then got bored. I like problem-solving, making a difference and I liked being valued, and if those attributes were to cease in this role, then clearly I don't want to be wasting my time. But there is much more to do."

There is indeed much more to do, but he has not solved the problem of the pro teams, he is no longer making the positive contribution he hoped for, and on Thursday he discovered that he did not have the backing of his many allies as he had hoped for, and he has salvaged some respect by taking the only clear path open to him this week.