THE ODDS
THE FANS THE HIGHS AND LOWS
TARTAN ARMY stalwart Hamish Husband insists Gordon Strachan will always be a Scotland hero – despite his failure to take the country to a major finals.
Strachan’s four-and-a-half year stint in the dugout came to an end yesterday. And even though Husband believes a managerial reshuffle is the correct call, the West of Scotland fans spokesperson insists Strachan will always be revered by the supporters.
He said: “The right decision has been made. Strachan was employed to take Scotland to a major finals and having not qualified twice, it was time to move on.
“However, he will remain a hero as he was a great player for Scotland.”
Husband reckons the next boss must be braced for a rollercoaster journey.
He added: “It takes a masochist to be the manager of Scotland. It’s one of the hardest jobs in European football because our expectations are always to qualify.
“There will be happiness and heartbreak, perhaps more of the latter. There are enough Scottish managers around – whoever takes the job needs the best of Scottish luck.” Jan 2013: Gordon Strachan is appointed Scotland boss. Mar 2013: Wales win 2-1 in World Cup qualifier and 2-0 loss to Serbia leaves Scots bottom. Jun 2013: Surprise 1-0 away victory against Croatia. Sep 2013: A 2-1 World Cup qualifying win in Macedonia. Oct 2013: The 2-0 success over Croatia in final World Cup qualifier leaves Scots fourth. Sep 2014: Scotland lose Euro 2016 qualifier 2-1 to World Cup champions Germany. Oct 2014: A 1-0 win over Georgia at Ibrox before 2-2 draw against Poland in Warsaw in Euro 2016 double-header. Nov 2014: At Celtic Park a 1-0 win over the Republic of Ireland hauls Scots back into fight. Mar 2015: Scotland hammer Gibraltar 6-1 at Hampden. Jun 2015: It’s 1-1 in Dublin. Sep 2015: Devastating 1-0 defeat by Georgia sees Strachan’s men drop to fourth. Oct 2015: A 2-2 draw against Poland at Hampden ends hopes of qualifying for Euro 2016. Sep 2016: World Cup 2018 bid starts with 5-1 win in Malta. Oct 2016: A point is rescued against Lithuania at Hampden but it’s a 3-0 defeat in Slovakia. Nov 2016: Scotland lose 3-0 against England at Wembley. Mar 2017: A 1-0 win over Slovenia at Hampden. Jun 2017: England nick last-gasp 2-2 draw at Hampden. Sep 2017: A 3-0 win in Lithuania and 2-0 triumph over Malta makes play-offs a possibility. Oct 2017: Slovakia’s late OG gives Scots 1-0 win. But 2-2 draw in Slovenia ends play-off hopes as Scots finish third. SFA cut Strachan loose. DAVIE MOYES has been installed as the early favourite to succeed Gordon Strachan as Scotland boss.
The 54-year-old former Manchester United and Everton manager has been priced at 5-2 after the SFA opted against renewing Strachan’s contract.
Moyes resigned as Sunderland boss in May this year after his sole season in charge ended in relegation from the Premier League. That followed Moyes’s short and unsuccessful spell with Spanish side Real Sociedad.
Current SFA performance director Malky Mackay is second favourite at 3-1 and has the benefit of overseeing a revamp of the nation’s youth structure.
Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill is the shortest priced non Scot at 12-1.
Odds: 5-2 Davie Moyes, 3-1 Malky Mackay, 8-1 Derek McInnes, 10-1 Alex McLeish, 12-1 Michael O’Neill, 14-1 Sam Allardyce, 16-1 Neil Lennon, 16-1 Paul Lambert, 16-1 Tommy Wright, 20-1 Steve Clarke, 25-1 Alex Neil, 25-1, Guus Hiddink, 25-1 Scot Gemmill, 33-1 Walter Smith, 40-1 Steven Pressley, 50-1 Graeme Souness, 50-1 Lars Lagerback.