Gordon Strachan: I'm still the best man for Scotland job

Gordon Strachan insists he is the 'best man' for the Scotland job and is confident he can get a result against England at Wembley next month which can reignite the national side's World Cup prospects.

Gordon Strachan says he still loves being Scotland manager. Picture: John Devlin

Speaking for the first time since the dispiriting 3-0 defeat by Slovakia that created fevered speculation about his willingness to carry on, Strachan admitted he didn’t sleep for 36 hours following the loss which left him reflecting on his position.

He said he was “ready to go again” and had no concerns over being removed from his post if he could not raise his team to produce a result against England.

“At the moment I just think I am the best man to go down there with the group and get a result,” Strachan said of the qualifier at Wembley on 11 November. “I’ve got to say I love this job. I love working with the people, I love bumping into supporters and I get a great response from them. I love dealing with my backroom staff, with the SFA staff. It’s a fantastic, fantastic job.

“Do I fear the sack? No, I don’t fear the sack because I’m 59, I’m all right, I’ve got loads to do in my life.

“Do I fear not working with these players? Yes. Do I fear not working with the staff? Yes. My thought is how do we get these players, this staff, these fans, everybody, to a tournament.”

Strachan also opened up on his decision to drop Oliver Burke, why he didn’t start with Leigh Griffiths and why he turned down a BBC reporter’s request to answer fans’ questions at a press conference.