Scottish FA say no rush over Strachan future

Glasgow (AFP) – Scottish football chiefs said on Tuesday they will not rush into a decision over manager Gordon Strachan’s future despite yet another failure to qualify for a major international tournament.

The Scotland boss is out of contract next month but is facing mounting pressure from fans to call time on his five-year reign after a draw with Slovenia on Sunday killed off their hopes of making it to next year’s World Cup in Russia.

Scotland boast a proud footballing tradition but are still waiting for a first major finals appearance since the 1998 World Cup in France.

But with no competitive action in the diary until the new UEFA Nations League kicks off next September, Scottish Football Association chief Stewart Regan believes SFA bosses can take their time before deciding their next move.

A board meeting is understood to be planned for later this week but Regan said there would be no “knee-jerk” reaction.

“Everyone is disappointed with how the campaign ended,” he told The Scottish Sun.

“But we now need time to reflect on the campaign and discuss it as a board. We’re not going to make any knee-jerk decisions.

“I’ve already had a chat with the manager and we’ve discussed it and I’ve said to him we’ll be discussing things as a board.

“I don’t think it would be fair on him or fair on us to make any snap judgement. We’ll just reflect on it and when we’re ready we’ll make a call on what happens next.

“When that happens, it’s hard to say. I don’t want there to be a stopwatch ticking on any decision. We don’t want that as an organisation and we don’t want to put pressure on Gordon.”