bossman4

Yip utterly flabbergasting. He clearly thinks it some kind of easy part time job. Living in NI, you read about Michael O'Neill and his attention to detail he has in place, video analysts and so on who pick over every match they play and their next opponents. You get the impression Strachan does bugger all, the Slovakia match would be the prime example where his 'scout' Pressley was on Radio Scotland on the Sunday saying that they were slow at the back and we needed to get at them with pace, Strachan goes and does the total opposite.

Yep, said it somewhere else over the last day or so. He clearly has no interest I scouting anymore whether it's players for their club or other teams in our group. Why not go and watch one of those teams, Slovenia tonight in Poland for example. He clearly knows what way this is going why he need's to take a 'few day's' to decide in ridiculous, why the SFA are even letting him is even worse.

We missed the boat with him, should have went for him after the euros. He'll not leave NI mid way through a campaign, plus he has a 750k buy out clause now as well. He'll move into club management at the end of these qualifiers

Supposedly buggerd off to Portugal on holiday for a few days.

What BBC gossip column is saying today, press just guessing at this moment clearly. David Moyes, who is unhappy at Sunderland despite being in the first year of a four-year contract, would be open to becoming the next Scotland manager should Gordon Strachan quit as national boss.(The Herald) Gordon Strachan has flown to Portugal to consider his future as Scotland head coach and the 59-year-old will return on Friday for a debrief with the Scottish FA following the 3-0 World Cup qualifying defeat by England. (Daily Mail) The Scottish FA has insisted it will have the final say, and not the national head coach himself, about whether Gordon Strachan remains in post. (The Sun, print edition) The Scottish FA will want to know what changes Gordon Strachan proposes to make to improve results if he decides to remain as head coach, with some board members preferring an interim manager for the remainder of the World Cup qualifying campaign should he decide to stand down. (Daily Mail) The interim manager one interests me, be an interesting idea and let them see who is out there, who may become available and not let them be left with another Big Eck situation.

The only one seems to be Steven Presssley. I've been saying that for the last few weeks. You never see Strachan at games, you always see shots of Southgate, Martin O'Neill and Coleman sitting in the crowd. After Slovakia, it was David Pleat who said the same thing about Strachan. He never see's him at games, he's always on the telly. Clearly one of the many issued there.

With the right manager we could. England were no great shakes the other night, they can be got at.

The comments from Souness today were just nonsense and an easy thing for a 'pundit' to say, rather than criticise an old pal. The Tom English column nailed the situation on the head. Yes there are fundamental problems with our game but that's a much more long term issue beyond the real remit of a national team manager. Main question is though can a better manager get more out the squad? Absolutley he can. NI we're loosing to Aezerbijan, Estonia, I think they took a 4-1 humping of them with pretty much the same squad they have now. We need a manager who will play players in form, build a team around a guy like Burke. Yes we have our centre half issues but these issues are compounded when the only one who's started all 4 games hasn't started a league games since the first game of the season and you then play a zonal marking system at the same time, it's utter suicide.

Should have been brought on last night for Morrison instead of McArthur. New manager has to build the team round him.

Heard he's been called in as a replacment for Greer

Don't disagree with you at all. Just confirming to me even more that nothing will change on Friday, part of me is/was hoping that Strachan would have one last go at it but probably fully expecting the same lethargic performance as Slovakia

I'd say there is more pressure on Southgate, Strachan probably knows his time is coming to an end loose, draw or even win. Southgate however has the issue that the job's his baring an 'embarrassing' defeat to Scotland. Can you imagine the Daily Mail on Saturday after their pumped by a p*ss poor Scotland side wearing pink strips Canne Wait

I cant see him playing left back, though with Strachan anything is possible. Just wonder if there is a thought to putting him a midfield holding role with Brown, like the ROI game from 2 years ago

Played last 3 games for Blackburn. Strange call up, would presume there may be an injury to someone in defence or midfield?

Loose, not matter how unlucky he goes, no doubt. Will probably resign post match on Friday. There was some chat on Radio Scotland last night that some think he will go even if we win.

He probably would get in your squad, like he would the NI squad probably. Same could be said about Jordan Rhodes (well a few months ago anyway) Yes Slovakia/Lithuania draw would be good for us and I'm not convinced Slovenia will have it as easy in Malta as we did. I don't think anyone will in the remainder of the group to be honest. They (Malta) will take a point or 2 off someone at home, somewhere down the line. A defeat on Friday certainly doesn't put is out of the running for second place, once a new man comes in with 4 homes games next year we may be able to salvage it, though I suspect the worst 2nd place could come from our group. I suppose this weekends results could determine that. I'm convinced GS will walk away no matter what happens on Friday.

Was in a couple of squads, last time he played was friendly v Qatar in May 2015, was an unused sub against you guys at the Aviva, which was his last involvement

He said something similar a couple of months ago, think it may been in 5 live as well. Edited to add, from June - http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/charlie-adam-baffled-gordon-strachans-8166188 Agree with your initial comments. I can see what he's saying and to be fair to him he did mention others that are playing but yet nowhere near the squad but his form for us bar once half v Spain has been questionable.

Agree, if he has watched any football recently he will see that's the way to pay them. Stones for City v Southampton recently for example had a nightmare when they put a bit of pressure on him. How England struggled with Slovenia doing that to them in October. If we sit off and play a Martin up front on his own we're on a hiding to nothing. The 3 in behind can all score, help Griffiths and give us a bit of intensity we lacked in Slovakia. If Martin plays he has to play Griffiths in behind and Burke and another on the wings (anya for exampe).

Given up trying to second guess Strachan. I'd go with this. Marshall, Patterson, Martin, Berra, Kinsgley, Brown, McArtur, Burke, Snodgrass, Morrison, Griffiths. Lets just go for it, nothing to loose. Pace, close them down giving them no time on the ball. Simples!!

Belfast at some point next year I would expect. March or end of May

Mulgrew on as a sub for Blackburn tonight

Berra simply has to start v Englan. Played almost every game and before tonight is part of a defence that was the best in the Championship along with Huddersfield and Brighton.

Pretty much yeah, apart from friendlies.

No, although his girlfriend offered to pay a hotel receptionist if he could provide any further evidence but the judge rulled it was just a desperate plea to help him. The second trial his defence were allowed to question the girl, which normally isnt't allowed unless there is evidence of sort to justify it. That evidence seemed to come from 2 other men who had a similar experience with the girl days before the Evans meeting. It was also claimed there was another similar liason days after the Evans meeting.