SFA did not discuss sacking Strachan says Stewart Regan

Manager Gordon Strachan can get Scotland's World Cup qualifying campaign back on track with victory at Wembley.

Scottish Football Association chief executive Stewart Regan insists Hampden bosses did not discuss sacking Gordon Strachan in the wake of this month's defeat by Slovakia.

Scotland’s hopes of reaching the next World Cup are hanging by a thread after taking just four points from their first three qualifiers.

Strachan must now hope his team can claim a victory at Wembley when they face England next month or the Scots can all but wave goodbye to a place at Russia 2018.

That remains a tall order but SFA chief Regan says dismissing the former Celtic manager is not an option the governing body has looked at yet. During an interview with BBC Scotland, he was asked if there had been board-level discussion on whether Strachan, pictured below, should be allowed to continue as Scotland manager. He replied: “Not at all.  Gordon’s under contract. It’s all about the next game. There are still 21 points to play for. We’re only three games into the campaign. If we win at Wembley, we’re right back in the mix and I think it’s a little bit disrespectful to be talking about a manager’s contract so early in a campaign.”

Strachan found himself under pressure to walk away following that damaging 3-0 defeat by Slovakia in Trnava. But, after talks with Regan, the national team manager decided to stay on for the trip to London on 11 November.

The Tartan Army remain to be convinced that Strachan can end the country’s long wait to reach a major finals but Regan reckons the fans can still be won over.

“Football is that kind of game. It’s all about performances,” he said. “You see that week in, week out. If teams perform, they have support. If they don’t, they have criticism. Scotland and Gordon are no different. He knows the fans crave success. We need to get a result against England and get our campaign back on track.”