Whatever happens in the aftermath of this forthcoming double header against Poland and Gibraltar, I would like to think that Gordon Strachan will make the decision to stay on as Scotland manager.

We have to wait and see what the outcome of this group is – and the chance of a play-off spot at this summer’s European Championships in France has not escaped us yet – but the World Cup group looks particularly daunting.

I think Strachan has proved that he is the man to keep the country going forward.

He has resurrected Scotland. There will always be people in this industry who makes decision purely on results but sometimes I think it is fair to look at where you have been and where you are going.

I don’t there is any question that under Strachan there has been significant progress.

He enjoys his job, his passion for the game shines through whenever he talks about football and I think you would have to expect that he has done enough that the decision whether to stay on or not is one that he makes himself.

As for tonight’s game itself, it will be as hard as the game against Germany.

Would a point be enough? We can only really know that in the aftermath of the game when we see how Ireland’s results go against Germany and then again on Sunday when they play the Poles in Warsaw.

Certainly, Scotland will go out and approach the game in a positive manner and try to win it but this is a top team. In Robert Lewandowski they have a guy who genuinally can be described as a world-class striker.

When we played Poland over there he was actually relatively quiet. I think Gordon Greer had a strong but legitimate challenge on him and he was pretty quiet after that. It is interesting that he has talked about being kicked off the park at Hampden.

That won’t happen – certainly not these days – but there is no doubt that an exceptional player like that can be the difference between the teams.

I think it is a game where you need eyes on the back of your head and complete concentration. You have to hope you can take something from it and if Scotland come out of the game with a good result I can’t imagine that they will possibly slip up when they head to Portugal to take on Gibraltar on Sunday.

It would maybe be different if that game were to be played on a tight, small pitch but it will be played on a good surface in a good stadium and I think that the momentum should carry them through it without any hiccups, especially if it is a good result against Poland.

There has been a bit of clamour around Leigh Griffiths given that he seems to be the in-form striker at the minute but I don’t think there are too many of us who don’t anticipate seeing Steven Flethcer given the nod to lead the line.

Fletcher’s goal-scoring ratio may not be as good as Griffiths’, but he has experience at the top level in the Premiership as well as at international level. What I think we may see if Fletcher starting and Griffiths coming on at some stage.

If that is the case, then it might be that it is Griffiths who gets the nod to play over in Portugal on Sunday but I really can’t imagine that he will be lining up to kick off the game against Poland.

These players are playing with the pressure of knowing that it has been almost 18 years since Scotland were last represented at a major international tournament and I know what that is like.

I was part of the team who beat the Czech Republic 2-1 at Hampden to get us to the 1974 World Cup, the first time we had made it in 16 years.

You say that it doesn’t affect you, but it is always there at the back of your mind. What you have to do, and what this current group of players has to do, is learn to live with that pressure.

You have to accept it without being in fear of it and you have to cope with playing around it because it is there and until we make it to another big tournament it will not go away.

But if you want to play football at any kind of level, dealing with pressure is a given. You must be able to handle the importance of the occasion and go out and perform.

The play-off place has not gone yet. It is a tough ask with two big games ahead of us but the lie of the land will be far clearer when the dust settled on Sunday night.

Whatever happens after that, however, you would like to think that Strachan continues the good work that he has started.