SFA will decide Gordon’s future THIS WEEK

Strachan’s five-year stint as Scotland manager hangs in balance after yet another qualifying campaign ends in bitter disappointment

IT’S one thing to start running out of friends and allies.

But sometimes, just to compound matters, Gordon Strachan is capable of being his own worst enemy into the bargain.

Which is why Scotland’s manager has re-entered a fairly ominous storm at the end of another ill-fated qualification campaign.

Sunday’s excruciating World Cup collapse in Slovenia was a hefty enough blow for the popularity of a man who, throughout almost five years in charge, has seldom appeared to be much more than tolerated by large swathes of the tartan masses. No matter what joys he has provided them with.

It’s a bizarre state of affairs given his years of devoted service in a dark blue shirt and the great deal of diligent work he has carried out since taking over at the helm.

But with what he said in the aftermath of the 2-2 draw that ended his blindside run to Russia, Strachan did little to help himself. If anything this was the night he handed out a fistful of sticks to all those Strachan bashers who never wanted him here in the first place.

With the debate already raging about his future, Strachan is likely to spend the next few days, maybe even weeks, reflecting on his own position before deciding if there is any point carrying on into a third qualification campaign.

Given his contract is effectively already up, the decision may be taken out of his hands if the SFA believe it’s time for a change at the top.

That’s probably unlikely given the stance of chief executive Stewart Regan who has previously made clear this job is Strachan’s for as long as he wants it. But Strachan will be keen to take a temperature check on public opinion before committing himself either way.

He may not like what he finds. The truth is an almighty and angry backlash has been brewing since the final whistle on Sunday night.

It wasn’t just his team selection, tactics or even his substitutions. Nor was it simply a reaction to his refusal to turn to fresh blood at this vital moment. Or his stubborn reliance on the old guard. None of that worked in his favour. Nor in Scotland’s for that matter.

It was his attempt at explaining the events that led us all to another campaign post mortem which seemed to tip so many over the edge. And yet, even as he prepared to leave Ljubljana,Strachan insisted he had no regrets – a stance that will no doubt lead to another rise in the national level of consternation.

Asked if wished he had done things differently along the way he said: “No. There is too much for that, you can’t do that.

“But say I did do something different, would that have guaranteed a win?

“Whatever everyone else says doesn’t really matter. I respect it but you can’t say if you had done something else that would have made a winning team.

“It might have been worse, it might have been a lot worse. All you can do is analyse and look at where you could be stronger. What you can’t do is change the genetics of the country, I don’t think that’s legal.”

By bemoaning our genetical make-up Strachan was flogging a dead horse. He may well have a point but there’s nothing much anyone can do about it. And this was neither the time nor the place to air it.

Also, it left him open to ridicule from his critics, given his decision to turn to the likes of Barry Bannan and Ikechi Anya in Scotland’s hour of need. That both players gave him their all over the last two matches of this campaign will be lost in the noise.

Strachan also explained he put out the tallest team at his disposal against Slovenia’s collection of giants. But by leaving Liam Cooper, Steven Fletcher, Steven Whittaker and Robert Snodgrass on the bench, this was evidently not the case.

Rather, there was a feeling that the group ended as it began, with Strachan turning full circle and relying on the same players who could not be trusted to win crucial games at the start, rather than try something new by unleashing the likes of John McGinn and Callum McGregor.

Knowing what we do now, it’s difficult to argue a case for the defence. But what is without question is the strength of the bond between Strachan and his players.

And the 14 points gathered from the last 18 available in Group F– a blistering run of form that made Scotland one of the hottest teams anywhere on the Continent.

These are the most crucial of all factors when considering what should happen next. It would certainly seem a curious time to rip it up and start again and turn instead to someone like Davie Moyes, who has enough credibility problems of his own to deal with right now, never mind taking on an entire nation’s.

If anyone can regenerate this starting 11 and bring Scotland forward to the point of qualification for Euro 2020, surely Strachan is ideally placed?

He added: “It’s a pleasure working with these guys, it really is. It’s an honour. These lads went deep in the last couple of games, to places where I don’t think they’ve been before. They pushed themselves to the absolute limit physically and mentally. So it is a real pride that we take. I really couldn’t say how they feel.

“You can probably tell by the way I’m speaking and looking that it might be a wee bit emotional for me as well..”

And the late, if ultimately ill-fated, revival is Strachan’s evidence of better times ahead. Perhaps no matter who is in charge.

He said: “Absolutely. And not just getting 14 points – you know you can get 14 points luckily. But I don’t think you can ever point that finger at us. Whatever we got from this group, we earned it.”

It’s been a bruising journey to get no further than to the broken heart of another painful disappointment. But for the time being only Strachan truly knows where we all go from here. GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD... GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD... GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD... GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD... GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD... GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD... GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD... GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD... GOOD