Williamson puts himself forward for Scotland job with McCoist in tow

Former Hibernian and Kilmarnock manager Bobby Williamson has put himself forward for the vacant Scotland head coach role, proposing a backroom team featuring Ally McCoist, Scott Brown and Kevin Thomson. The 64-year-old made his interest known to BBC Radio Scotland after the position opened up following Steve Clarke’s resignation.

Williamson, who has previously managed the national teams of Kenya and Uganda, admitted he would not be the crowd-pleasing choice for Scottish supporters. However, he believes the calibre of his proposed coaching staff could win over the Tartan Army.

A dream team pitch

McCoist, who managed Rangers and previously served as an assistant to Walter Smith with Scotland, is among those Williamson has approached. Brown, a serial trophy winner as Celtic captain, and Thomson, who helped Rangers reach a UEFA Cup final, complete the proposed group.

“I tried to get through to [chief executive] Ian Maxwell and the president, but it’s not happened and I’ve obviously got someone else working on that to see if it is worth pursuing,” Williamson told BBC Radio Scotland.

“I am not going to excite the Tartan Army, I know that for a fact, but maybe with these future international coaches getting a go at it, that might excite them because of what they achieved with Scotland and their club sides,” he added.

A former striker with Rangers, West Bromwich Albion, Rotherham United and Kilmarnock, Williamson has been out of football management for a decade. He revealed that reading reports of Clarke’s departure while at home in Africa had prompted him to consider throwing his hat into the ring.

“I’ve been out of the game for a while, but I was looking at the newspaper reports about who’s favourite to get the job and I thought my CV stacks up very well,” he said. “I’ve managed two national teams here in Africa. In Uganda, we were getting 60,000 every home game – very passionate fans – and I handled that pressure okay.”

“I know the passion of the Scottish fans well and they don’t want to be let down and I thought ‘could I give it a go?’,” he continued.

Familiar faces from his managerial past

Williamson was a team-mate of McCoist’s during his playing days at Rangers, while Brown and Thomson were emerging midfielders under his management at Hibernian. He explained that McCoist was the first person he contacted about the project.

“So my first text message was to Alistair McCoist and I said I am thinking about doing this and he said ‘I’m in’,” Williamson revealed. “So I started thinking ‘who else?’ and I’m thinking long term for Scotland’s benefit – bring in some younger coaches so they get the international experience.”

“Both of these guys – Scott Brown and Kevin Thomson – have played numerous games for Scotland, they have played at the top level,” he said. “They certainly have that knowledge, but they have not really experienced the coaching side of the game at that level and I thought, if I could help these guys, it would give Scotland options down the line and maybe some continuity.”

Williamson’s managerial record includes leading Kilmarnock to Scottish Cup glory in 1997 and guiding Plymouth Argyle to the Championship. In Africa, he won the CECAFA Cup regional tournament with Uganda in 2011 and later led Gor Mahia to the Kenyan league title.

Despite the pitch, Williamson acknowledged the long odds facing his candidacy. “They probably have wheels in motion and have identified candidates anyway,” he admitted, describing his approach as “a big if”.