Smith leaves Scotland door slightly ajar for Ferguson and McGregor

alan pattullo
SCOTTISH Football Association chief executive Gordon Smith has admitted it is not possible to say the door had been completely closed on Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor's international careers.
Despite an SFA statement which was released last Friday, and which stated that Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor "will no longer be considered for International selection by Scotland", Smith appeared to concede yesterday that it was a case of never say never again.

The players earned severe censure for drinking to excess on their return from the 3-0 World Cup qualifying defeat against the Netherlands nearly a fortnight ago, actions which were compounded by offensive gestures made while sitting on the substitutes' bench after being dropped by manager George Burley for the subsequent clash with Iceland.

Speaking during an interlude at an SFA board meeting, at which Burley presented a report on what had occurred at the squad's Cameron House base, Smith was asked whether he could confirm there was no way back for either player. Reports this week have suggested that the pair could yet play again this season for Rangers, despite their Ibrox careers having seemingly looked over following the two-week suspensions imposed on them for bringing the club's name into disrepute.

Despite the players' behaviour being described as "an embarrassment to our national game" yesterday, Smith said he could not state absolutely that Ferguson and McGregor will never play for Scotland again. While the 31 year-old Ferguson has already stated an opinion that the current qualifying campaign might be his last for Scotland, McGregor, at only 27, is still to reach his prime as a goalkeeper.

"That is something that will have to be looked at it in the future," he said. "The statement that came out on Friday was quite clear: at the moment they will not be chosen. I can't say if they would play for Scotland again."

Smith seemed to acknowledge that regimes can change in football, and a new manager – or even chief executive – could have new ideas. Burley endured an uncomfortable experience yesterday as he explained to the SFA's board why he made the decisions he did last week. Vice-president Campbell Ogilvie chaired the meeting in the absence of SFA president George Peat, who is in hospital following a heart scare.

It was agreed that Burley had acted in the right manner when initially handing Ferguson and McGregor a reprieve following their leading roles in an extended drinking spree at the team's Loch Lomondside hotel, after the squad's return from Amsterdam.

This was re-emphasised yesterday afternoon in a statement from the SFA, released following Smith's briefing with reporters at Hampden. "For the avoidance of any doubt, the decision still stands and Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor will not be considered for International Selection," it stated.

But Smith had earlier accepted that the stance could change. "There are many circumstances which can arise," he said. "I cannot actually say that (they will never play again]. But the situation at the moment is that the ban has been put on them, and they will not be chosen again for the international team.

"I am not saying that," he added, when asked to clarify whether he was saying there could be a way back from the international wilderness for Ferguson and McGregor. "You can speculate on that, but the decision has been taken."

Taken from the Scotsman