What seems an inevitable extension of Gordon Strachan’s time as Scotland manager will come about on account of mutual convenience.
It has been lost in the analysis of a dire performance in Georgia, subsequent travel chaos and a spirited showing against Germany that Strachan is now within weeks of the end of his contract. When Scotland’s Euro 2016 qualifying campaign concludes, so too does the manager’s deal.
The absence of panic within the Scottish Football Association about this scenario should not be confused with indifference towards Strachan’s reign. Instead, there is a relaxed expectation the 58-year-old will prolong his tenure into a World Cup qualifying bid. Any other outcome would be a serious surprise.
The finer details of that arrangement, it is reckoned, can wait until the aftermath of Scotland’s games with Poland and Gibraltar next month; a November play-off may also be factored into the timing of talks. The SFA has deemed Strachan a success, a matter broadly shared by the footballing public until the harrowing Friday evening in Tbilisi which placed pressure on Monday’s visit of Germany.
The blunt reality is Scotland lack the playing resource to make qualifying for major tournaments a frequent occurrence. Changing manager after manager at the culmination of unsuccessful campaigns – and this one may yet not be – is a fruitless exercise. There is also no glaring alternative to Strachan.
Despite a successful time in charge of Celtic, there was no clamour among English clubs to hire him. A spell in charge of Middlesbrough was a short-lived disaster. That, added to the lack of startling progress in the Scotland team’s fortunes, means Strachan would be best served to remain in a post where he is appreciated.
He gives the impression of relishing a role that allows him to spend time in England, Spain and TV studios. Strachan has always valued his family life, something assisted by the essentially part-time function of being an international coach.
Where there will be professional frustration, inevitably, is in the lack of resources that come with managing Scotland; particularly in terms of strikers. An external concern is Strachan can appear too firm in his belief of a certain system or group of players. Loyalty is admirable, stubbornness less so.
For now the focus is on recovering from back-to-back games which failed to yield a point. That Georgia defeat continues to look significant, not least with the Republic of Ireland having upstaged Scotland in Group D.
Scotland face Poland on 8 October and they can take encouragement from the 2-2 draw they earned in Warsaw 11 months ago. “We have played Poland already and drew with them over there and we have had other good results,” said Strachan’s assistant, Mark McGhee. “It’s elements of those games that we have to take into the Poland game.
“We feel we can win the two games despite the performance in Georgia and the result. We still feel as if there is enough in us to get six points from the two games to come. Then we have to wait and see what happens elsewhere. That’s the disappointing thing, that we are relying on other results. But we will regather next month and do our utmost to win the two games.”
