McGhee: ‘Strachan won’t quit’
MARK McGHEE is adamant that Gordon Strachan will stay as Scotland boss.
Strachan’s assistant believes the 59-year-old will take encouragement from the defeat by England.
Scotland sit second-bottom of World Cup qualifying Group F and look certain to end the campaign by making it 20 years without reaching a major tournament.
Strachan took a massive gamble by re-jigging his side to face England but it was a move that flopped.
McGhee, however, is certain the attitude of the players will be uppermost in his thoughts.
The Scotland boss is refusing to discuss his future but McGhee is shocked by the suggestion he might quit.
He said: “I think he’s got to take encouragement from the performance, the commitment of the boys and the determination to put his plan into place.
“I see no reason why he can’t go forward into the next games.”
Scotland don’t have another competitive fixture until March 26 when Slovenia come to Hampden.
That gives Strachan, or any potential replacement, nearly five months to plot a revival in the team’s fortunes.
McGhee sees a failure to hit the net as being the main cause of Scotland’s Wembley woe.
He went on: “We showed we could put a team as good as England under pressure but you’ve got to get a goal during that time.
“We had chances which we should have done better with but didn’t.
“For an hour we played as well as we can and we just have to find a goal. In one of these games we will.”
For many fans, the sight of England playing keep-ball and toying with the Scots will be a painful memory.
McGhee hopes that doesn’t overshadow the effort of the players.
He said: “I’m really disappointed for them, especially that last 10 or 15 minutes when England were knocking the ball around.
“I think that was unfair – not by England but on our lads.”