The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
World Cup dream still alive: Strachan
SCOTLAND: National coach understands Tartan Army’s frustrations
Gordon Strachan is convinced he can revive Scotland’s World Cup fortunes.
And the national coach has pointed to Antonio Conte and Pep Guardiola as recent examples of managers whose reputations have been transformed “in weeks.”
Successive 3-0 defeats to Slovakia and England followed a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Lithuania last year, and led to calls for the 59-year-old to be sacked.
Though he was given a vote of confidence by the SFA back in November, Strachan understands he has work to do to win over sections of the Tartan Army.
However, he believes he can help bring about a Group F revival that will keep World Cup qualifying hopes alive.
Strachan said: “There’s a huge disappointment, that’s for sure. You have to deal with that because I think in the previous year I thought we were so close to being a good team.”
REVIVAL POSSIBLE: Continued from page 56
“We played like a team, we moved like a team. That was the disappointment. I thought we would take it on from there to being a right good side,” said Strachan.
“Circumstances work against you sometimes, but we can’t blame anybody else but ourselves.
“I’m not indignant if anyone questions my position as a manager. Not in any way whatsoever, I can understand that. There’s ways of doing it, obviously, but that’s what happens in football.
“Antonio Conte, he wasn’t very good at the beginning of the season, now he’s a genius. Guardiola was a genius at the beginning of the season, now he’s not so much of a genius.
“It can change in weeks in football.
“But I do love this job. I love working with people, I love coaching players, and the group [of players] I’ve got are fantastic.”
Strachan revealed he is keen to arrange a friendly before the next qualifier on March 26, and he admitted that home encounter with Slovenia is a must-win game if Scotland are to close the gap to second place in the group.
Speaking to Sky Sports Scotland, Strachan, who took charge in January 2013, said: “There’s not a target, as such, but what I have to do is start winning games at home, that’s for sure.
“We have to win the next one, that’s for sure. That’s our mindset now.
“The break has helped us, I hope the break has helped us, that we can start again and say, ‘here we go, we need to win this game’.
“It’s been a disappointing year but we have to put that aside now and look forward to this year.
“Not that things will change dramatically just because it’s a new year – you have to do something about that yourself.
“But I think people understand that whatever happens, the players are giving as much as they can.”