JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE WORLD
Road to Russia is closed and Strachan should pay price for glorious failure
THERE are lies, damned lies, statistics – and Gordon Strachan.
The Scotland boss failed to take his team to within touching distance of Russia after a pitiful performance in Slovenia left their World Cup dreams in tatters.
Staggeringly, Strachan is set to walk away with a better record than any of the managers who led the Dark Blues to a major finals.
But in the games that really mattered he and his charges have been found woefully wanting as the SFA prepare to begin the hunt for their sixth boss in little more than a decade.
The failure to defeat Slovenia last night left Strachan on 19 wins out of 40 games. His 47.5 per cent win rate is better than Willie Ormond (47 per cent), Ally MacLeod (41 per cent), Jock Stein (43 per cent), Alex Ferguson (30 per cent), Andy Roxburgh (38 per cent) and Craig Brown (45 per cent).
However, he is likely to step down facing a stark truth – his record cannot begin to stand comparison with his predecessors because his squad failed to stand toe to toe with major nations on the world stage.
Up until yesterday it looked as if the turnaround in Scotland’s fortunes would be remarkable. After all it appeared as if it was Group F for failure after just four matches.
The Scots had their destiny within their own grasp in Ljubljana only to let it slip appallingly. A 5-1 victory in Malta last September set a standard that was not maintained a month later when Lithuania drew 1-1 at Hampden.
The Scots have now met the pesky Lithuanians 10 times in qualification games and have never once progressed from the group.
Strachan urged calm after that 1-1 draw, secured when a late header from James McArthur cancelled out Fedor Cernych’s strike.
He said: “There were a lot of chances cleared off the line, could have been handball, could have been this, could have been that. It could be a good point in the end.”
His optimism seemed misplaced when a 3-0 defeat in Slovakia led to questions over Strachan’s future just months after the SFA’s decision to hand him another campaign after failure in the Euro qualifiers.
He added: “Form can change in a couple of weeks and this campaign is played over a year.
“Every time I get together with these guys they rejuvenate me. We’ve given it our best shot in the last couple of games.”
Nevertheless, Strachan was unsettled by the unconvincing start to the campaign, reflected in his decision to shake up his team by making eight changes for the game at Wembley last November.
The 3-0 scoreline suggests a convincing victory for interim English boss Gareth Southgate, although question marks were raised at the quality of a Scottish defence giving up all three goals through headers.
Daniel Sturridge nodded Kyle Walker’s cross beyond Craig Gordon after 24 minutes but Leigh Griffiths scorned a glorious chance to play in Robert Snodgrass for the leveller.
James Forrest and Snodgrass then missed great opportunities before Adam Lallana and Gary Cahill added to Strachan’s agony.
The defeat dropped the Scots below the English, Slovenia, Slovakia and Lithuania as Strachan was forced to face questions about his future.
He said: “It’s not the time to think about it. If you think I’m thinking about myself, you don’t know me. If you think I’m worried about myself, you’re completely wrong.”
Strachan stayed and as he hit 60 in February and qualified for a bus pass the Scots also began to slowly slip into gear and motor up the table.
Chris Martin’s late strike against Slovenia secured a 1-0 win in March before the game that underlined the agony and ecstasy of this entire campaign – the 2-2 draw against England at Hampden. The Scots stared elimination in the face after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s opener before two world-class free-kicks from Leigh Griffiths ignited passions in the old lady of Mount Florida the Tartan Army hadn’t witnessed for decades. But Harry Kane volleyed his side level with the last kick and fans staggered out of Hampden not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Griffiths summed it up best when he said: “I’m gutted. I should be delighted, getting two goals, man of the match and walking in here with three points. But one lapse of concentration cost us in the end.” Suddenly, however, the Scots’ play-off destiny was back in their own hands. They did something no Scottish team had achieved in almost two decades by recording three qualifying clean sheets in a row, with a 3-0 win in Lithuania followed by a 2-0 victory against Malta and another dramatic winner, this time against 10-man Slovakia. It set the stage for another nailbiting 90 minutes in Slovenia but when they needed to be brave, Scotland sadly bottled it once again.