CARETAKER Scotland boss Malky Mackay may coach his teams from the sidelines but Scot Gemmill does not feel in the least undermined.
Since Mackay took up his role as SFA performance director almost a year ago, he has accompanied Scotland youth teams all across Europe, with Gemmill as manager. He has been in the Czech Republic with the Under 19s in the Elite Round, the Toulon Tournament and the away Under-21s qualifier in Latvia last month.
The former Cardiff City manager has taken a hands-on approach and been spotted bellowing instructions from the dug-out, the corner of a stand and in Liepaja, in Latvia, he even climbed up a TV gantry to get his message across. So loud was he during the Toulon Tournament, some of his more colourful instructions were picked up by the TV microphones.
But far from being unimpressed with his boss, Gemmill – who leads his side on Friday against Latvia before they face Ukraine, with both Euro 2019 qualifiers in Perth – says Mackay’s enthusiasm helps him on the sidelines.
“Malky has worked closely with me,” Gemmill said. “He obviously loves football. In my opinion he’s got the balance right just in terms of allowing me to coach the team and be the head coach but, at the same time, be helpful to me.
“He’s obviously worked at the highest level. When I first met Malky, I asked him to help me.
I want to continually improve, I feel I would be stupid not to tap into his experience. Then we went to Toulon together, he was there for the full duration.
“He’s been great. I understand a lot of people might look on from afar and think, well, maybe it’s not enjoyable for a coach to have his boss so close. I can assure you it’s not like that. It is done in the correct way and everything is about the team, really, helping the team.
“He’s never going to be anything else. Wild horses wouldn’t stop him. I think you just have to accept the guy has got a passion about football, a passion about Scotland.
“It may be that a different coach wouldn’t enjoy it. But I haven’t got a problem with it, I am not the kind of person who would feel intimidated by it.
I don’t care if someone is looking down saying that he’s not really the head coach . . . or is Malky doing this? Maybe I should. But I am not.”
Gemmill has baulked at suggestions Mackay’s enthusiasm is making a mockery of his role as manager.
“That’s for other people to judge, but they don’t know the working relationship between me and my boss,” he said.
“Of course if they perceive it that way then I cannot stop them but I certainly don’t find it a concern to me.
“If it was, I would speak to Malky and ask him not to do it. I speak to him a lot, of course I do. He’s the kind of boss who likes to know what’s going on.”
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