By Clive Lindsay

Many are happy that Gordon Smith is "a football person"

For those outside Scotland, the new man at the helm of the governing body is best known for the late chance he had to clinch the FA Cup for Brighton and Hove Albion in the 1983 final against Manchester United.

It led to the cry of "And Smith Must Score" from BBC Radio 2 commentator Peter Jones that later became immortalised in the title of a Brighton fanzine and a verse from punk poet and Seagulls fan Attila the Stockbroker.

Interview: SFA chief executive Gordon Smith

As a BBC Scotland football pundit, Smith could at times appear unsettled by criticism.

But he has had to develop a thick skin considering the amount of times that his close-range miss - he put it down to a superb save by goalkeeper Gary Bailey - has been thrown in his face down the years.

And, with one newspaper headline immediately making reference to his hairline by describing him as the SFA's new "bigwig", the 53-year-old recognises that he will have even more flak to deal with in his new job.

"I am not even in the door yet and I have been criticised, but it is the way of the world and I am not that sensitive to criticism or I would not have taken the job," he told BBC Sport.

Smith realises that one of his first hurdles will be winning over those Celtic supporters suspicious of anyone who has adorned the light blue of city rivals Rangers.

"I've had lots of texts and all my Celtic friends have said 'great' and have apologised for what has appeared on websites," he said.

Smith will be working with newly-elected president George Peat

"But the response has generally been very encouraging."

The choice of Smith delighted those who had been calling for the successor to Uefa-bound David Taylor to be a "football person", mirroring the appointment of Michel Platini by European football's governing body.

It has equally surprised those - including Smith himself - who were expecting the prime candidates to come from high-echelons of the business world.

"The head-hunters got me in as they thought I would be someone they would be interested in," said the man who insists he can still be addressed by his nickname, Smudger.

"I think seven or eight people went forward from there, but I left the meeting thinking they would not go for someone like me.

"But I do have a business background offering financial services in Scotland and I was head of financial services for a firm of chartered accountants.

"When I first signed for Glasgow Rangers at the age of 22, I was marketing development manager of a company in Glasgow and used to train in the morning and work for them in the afternoon.

"But I've not employed 95 people before. That's slightly different.

"I usually like working and setting up businesses on my own, so this is outside my comfort zone."

Gordon Smith will have to win over some Celtic supporters

However, Smith believes that his experience of playing "at the highest level in four different countries" impressed the decision makers.

A high-profile football agent, he has also long been known as an articulate advocate of radical changes to the game in Scotland.

Smith previously submitted a paper to the Scottish Premier League recommending a winter shutdown during January and February, with the season extending into June.

He also suggests that a mini-league containing the four bottom teams in the SPL and the top four in Division One would revitalise the end of the season.

But Smith realises that any such changes would have to win the support not only of the "suits" within but the "vested interests" among the clubs.

"If there is a level of frustration, I'm not going to stay in the job for the sake of it," he said. "I can go do other things."

Smith has already complained that those comments have been misinterpreted in the media as a warning to potential opponents of his ideas.

That Google search also reveals an English Gordon Smith who is an online dating agency entrepreneur.

Only time will tell whether Smudger and the SFA will be a marriage made in heaven.