Hay, then a teacher and coach at Sacred Heart College, Auckland, courted controversy in June 2012 by criticising New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert's tactics following a defeat in the 2012 OFC Nations Cup to the Solomon Islands. Hay was quoted as saying "It's a little bit scary that you've got one person dictating all the ideas and there's nothing fresh coming through. He's got tactically lazy and to play three at the back in Honiara was horrific in those conditions, with the type of players we had available to us."