The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
It’s friends reunited for World Cup passion play
But Strachan and Southgate will have no time for the old pals act when Scotland take on England
Gordon Strachan is close friends with new England caretaker manager Gareth Southgate, even though the former Don pinched his job at Middlesbrough.
England under-21 manager Southgate has been put in charge of the Three Lions for four matches after the departure of Sam Allardyce on Monday.
The former international defender’s third match in charge will be against Scotland at Wembley on November 11 in the World Cup qualifier.
It will be friends reunited as Strachan and Southgate built a strong relationship after working together in television.
Boro were only a point from top spot in the Championship in October 2009 when Southgate was sacked by chairman Steve Gibson and replaced by Strachan.
However, the Scotland manager insists there is no bad blood between them – and confirmed they were at Fulham together on Saturday, oblivious to the mayhem which was about to unfold at the FA.
Strachan, who has named his squad for the qualifiers with Lithuania and Slovakia on October 8 and 11, said: “I took Gareth’s job at Middlesbrough although we have actually got on great since then as we worked together.
“We have had spells of two or three weeks together in hotels, talking football. He’s a great lad – an absolutely great lad. It’s good to be in his company.
“He knows a bit about the game. When he’s talking about football he comes over well.
“I don’t know if he wants to do the job on a permanent basis. You would need to ask Gareth.
“I was actually with him on Saturday at the Fulham versus Bristol City game. He wouldn’t have seen what was coming.
“We were talking about young players at Fulham. He was down to see a 16year-old left back and came all the way down from Harrogate to see him.
“I know Gareth really well. He’s not really my adversary and it was same when I was managing teams against Arsene Wenger or Alex Ferguson.
“I wasn’t taking them on – it’s players versus players.
“I’m not taking him on. We’re taking on an England squad.
“So it’s us as a group of players versus them and their coaching staff and us, so it’s a thing we all do together.”
Strachan refused to be drawn on the decision to get rid of Allardyce, who was caught by undercover reporters explaining how to circumvent FA rules on transfers and made disparaging remarks about the FA and its previous management team of Roy Hodgson and Gary Neville.
The Tartan Army is hoping the remarkable revelations will destabilise England in their World Cup qualifying campaign, but Strachan is not so sure because of the quality of the England players.
He said: “I just get bored with being on television when all the rest of the talking heads are on.
“I would rather go home and watch sports shows without me being on them
“There is a small part that we don’t want Scotland dragged into England’s issue, but I just feel when things like this happen the media ask everybody about it.
“I got up this morning and there were people talking about it who I didn’t recognise. I would rather go home and watch The Chase or something.
“I have no idea if this will be unsettling for England – I couldn’t tell you. There is no point in me pontificating, I have never been with an international team when they have lost a manager after one game.
“If I was a player in that situation then I could tell you if it affected me or not, but I don’t know that.
“We are all guessing, it might not affect them at all.
“There are players in that squad that so many coaches around the world would want and there are so many coaches who would want to take that group of players.
“They are highly rated and they are playing in the so-called best league in the world, the most exciting league in the world and most of them are playing at Champions League level.
“So they look a good bunch to manage that’s for sure.
“I couldn’t tell you how Gareth has developed in the last couple of years.
“Gareth has done the under-21s in the last couple of years, he has got patience.
“He is quite willing to go away and learn.
“I really do wish him the best of luck for his four games – apart from our one, that’s for sure.”
“Us as a group of players versus them and their coaching staff and us, so it’s a thing we all do”