THE GOOD LIFE
National team job suits me just perfectly, says Strachan
GORDON STRACHAN i nsists he is savouring li feast he manager of Scotland’s national team as he plots a path to Euro 2016.
SFA chief executive Stewart Regan claimed this week that Strachan has a job for life so long as he maintains the feelgood factor surrounding the buoyant Scots side.
Ahead of tomorrow’s crunch qualifier in Dublin, the f ormer Celtic boss i s revelling i n the preparations for another challenge with his players.
‘All I want to do is make these players and this squad better,’ said Strachan (pictured). ‘Anyone who knows me will say I’ve never had a long-term plan for anything in my life. None whatsoever.’
Asked how the prospect of leading Scotland to a first major finals since 1998 compares to his other challenges in management, Strachan added: ‘I’m excited about the game coming up. But I don’t think I can bracket how I am enjoying this compared to different places I’ve been.
‘I think it would be unfair to say I enjoy this or that more than something else. People always ask me where I enjoyed playing the most but if I said
Manchester United, that would be unfair on the great players I played with at Aberdeen or Leeds. ‘But at this moment, I love working with the Scotland players and coaching staff. ‘I’ve been walking to the pitch with the lads, who are all good players. I train with them and laugh with them. So I don’t think life can get that much better.’ Two years since the Scots’ turnaround began with an unlikely end-of-season victory over Croatia in Zagreb, Strachan admitted that international management is now a more enjoyable affair. ‘If you asked me after the first three weeks I’d have said: “No, I hate this”. But it’s like anything else, when you start getting success, there is enjoyment. ‘When you see people doing well, that makes a big difference. It suits my lifestyle at the moment, yeah, it definitely suits my lifestyle at the moment.’ The lure of the cut and thrust of club football always hangs in the air, however, yet Strachan is non-committal on a possible return to dayto-day management. ‘I never plan ahead,’ he said. ‘I like what I’m doing and I enjoy working with these lads. ‘The other day I was watching training and I stood back and said to the other coaches: “It’s great watching great players, isn’t it?”. ‘Most of the time, I usually watch for the first 15 minutes and then step in and give them wee reminders of what we do. But after 15 minutes the other day I said: “Nope, I don’t need to give you any reminders” and walked back off again.’