Smith quits SFA role

[Jim White 0]

Scottish Football Association chief executive Gordon Smith has resigned from his position.

 

More...

[Super_Ally 0]

Ex-Bear and could have wide ranging implications so moved into the main forum.

 

I was pleasantly suprised by his appointment and disappointed he's quit. Any idea what the "personal reasons" are?

[Bluedell 5,888]

There's been a suggestion it was something to do with Robbie Winters and a diving incident, although don't know the full details.

[Zappa 0]

The minute he took over and started talking about making big changes to the game in Scotland it was clear that he wouldn't last long. I've said it before; this position is just a puppet, a public face that gets plonked between the SFA and the media. For all his good intentions, Gordon Smith had no real power, no real leverage within the SFA and I can assure you that if he didn't know that before taking the job, he'll sure as hell know it now.

Edited April 19, 2010 by Zappa
editing typo

[Zappa 0]

In other words: The title is 'Chief Executive', but the job is 'Spokesperson'.

[andy steel 0]

It was amusing to hear Campbell Ogilivie being touted as a replacement. As if timothy would wear two man with Rangers connexions in a row!

[stewarty 2,085]

I too thought Smith's appointment was a progressive step and I held out a glimmer of hope that some positive changes were afoot. However, Smith may be an accomplished pundit, but an accomplished Chief Exec, he was not. There have been far too many blunders that have happened on his watch and the Robbie Winters incident may have been the straw that broke the camel's back.

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/sfl/2010/04/16/livi-demand-probe-into-sfa-chief-gordon-smith-over-robbie-winters-dive-saga-86908-22189983/

LIVINGSTON chairman Gordon McDougall has written to SFA president George Peat demanding an investigation into the conduct of chief executive Gordon Smith.

 

McDougall is unhappy with Smith's alleged involvement in disciplinary proceedings against the club's striker Robbie Winters over allegations of diving.

 

Winters was this week cleared of the offence by the SFA after video evidence of Livi's third division win at East Stirling on February 20 was viewed at Hampden.

 

But McDougall has hit out at with the way the process was handled.

 

Smith, who has campaigned against the scourge of diving in football, attended February's game, which saw Michael Bolochoweckyj receive a second booking for a foul on Winters.

 

McDougall claims the SFA chief asked for a DVD of the match from home manager Jim McInally.

 

The Livi chairman says the SFA have since informed him Shire owner Spencer Fearn made a complaint against Winters three days after the game.

 

McDougall said: "I find it quite astonishing this information was kept from myself, Robbie and the disciplinary committee.

 

"It's either gross incompetence or an attempt to mislead folk.

 

"Either way, I feel Gordon Smith has overstepped his authority and that is why I'll be writing to George Peat."

[alexscottislegend 2,580]

It was amusing to hear Campbell Ogilivie being touted as a replacement. As if timothy would wear two man with Rangers connexions in a row!

 

That's the point: they couldn't stomach a Rangers man pure and simple. Whereas I would not reject out of hand someone with a Keltic connection if they were suitable. A tragedy, this. People have said we need a football man -who else was so articulate and had such a footballing profile?

 

Furthermore, we'll now get a 'blazer' in to replace him.

Edited April 20, 2010 by alexscottislegend
additional info.

[Danny 0]

Gordon Smith was a dignified and decent pundit with balanced knowledge of the game, and a leaning towards Rangers.

 

As SFA CE he was an abysmal joke, an absolute buffoon who didn't know how to conduct himself, who didn't carry out the right tasks, and for all the optimism we had about this man getting the job, he ended up being worse at it than his predecessors.

 

Glad he's gone, and hopefully he can go back to being a more balanced and fair person than the dimwit he turned into.

[Danny 0]

That's the point: they couldn't stomach a Rangers man pure and simple. Whereas I would not reject out of hand someone with a Keltic connection if they were suitable. A tragedy, this. People have said we need a football man -who else was so articulate and had such a footballing profile?

 

.

 

Smith was anything but articulate in the role - he was verging on ludicrous and contradicted himself all over the place. He was made to look very foolish, with very little help.