Willie Miller has slammed the SFA for the process that resulted in his former Aberdeen team-mate Alex McLeish being appointed Scotland boss.
After 100 days of discussions Michael O’Neill was the first choice of the SFA to replace Gordon Strachan but the Irishman rejected the offer to move to Hampden.
The prospect of a bright new era was then abandoned in a desperate bid to find someone prepared to take up on the job and work to the demands of the SFA Board.
Friday’s media conference exposed the SFA to a worlwide audience with president Alan McRae refusing to take any questions after a cringeworthy introduction explaining his long running relationship with McLeish.
Speaking about the appointment Miller told the BBC: “The SFA have turned a relatively simple process into a saga.
“I can’t understand how we went after a manager [Michael O’Neil] and offered him less than he was on, and then we’re surprised that it didn’t work out.
“We were told before Stewart Regan left that there were applicants. We haven’t heard any names. I had a chuckle when I heard it was Walter Smith or Alex McLeish. Nothing to do with their qualities, but because they’re ex-Scotland managers, and if you threw Gordon Strachan’s name into that list then he probably had more right to be kept back on as manager because he didn’t leave, the other two left for club jobs. It’s just a total farce.”
McLeish has backed the decision of Stewart Regan to take on mid-summer friendlies away to Peru and Mexico and is expected to announce his backroom staff this week with Peter Grant and James McFadden likely to be his assistants.