No rush to decide on Strachan
GORDON STRACHAN and the Scottish Football Association are expected to take some time to consider the Scotland manager’s future after failing to qualify for another World Cup.
Strachan’s contract expires next month following Scotland’s failure to reach the play-offs on goal difference after a 2-2 draw in Slovenia and it is understood there was no debrief scheduled between the two parties in the immediate aftermath of the Ljubljana encounter.
A late Robert Snodgrass equaliser ensured Scotland remain unbeaten this year – a run that includes the final six matches of their qualifying group.
Scotland had taken just four points from their first four games – prompting discussions between Strachan and the SFA over the manager’s future – but a decision was made to hold firm and they turned their campaign around.
Strachan’s side were hampered by injuries to Scott Brown, Stuart Armstrong and James Morrison in Ljubljana. But the agony of extending the wait to appear at a major tournament beyond 20 years has sparked renewed debate around the manager’s position.
Much of the focus is on team selections in the early part of the campaign, for example ignoring the clamour to play Leigh Griffiths, who has scored four goals since being given his first start of the qualifiers against England four matches in.
Strachan’s comments about Scotland having a “genetical” problem, with shorter players having to battle against more physical opponents, have attracted much attention but former Scotland striker Kris Boyd believes they have been taken out of context.
“Emotions are running high after the game,” said Boyd. “If you speak to him this morning, it would probably be a different answer. What he was trying to get across was the fact that we lost two goals from set-plays, we don’t have the big physical boys the other nations have.”