THE Scottish FA were in a no-win situation with Gordon Strachan because some of the country wanted him to stay and some of the country wanted him to go.

It was a big call for Stewart Regan and the board to make. Had Scotland been in a scenario where there was no chance that we could qualify for the World Cup then I don’t think Gordon would have remained as manager.

Out of the six games that are left, we have four at Hampden and they will need 12 points from them if we are to have a chance of getting a play-off spot.

It is five months before the next game and I think it is right that Gordon stays until it is mathematically impossible for us to qualify.

I know people will say that we won’t get second and we should just get rid of him now but that is not the way that the people that run Scottish football think. As long as we have a chance, they will back the manager.

Who is to say that a new manager will get any more out of the players? I think the players are giving their all and are working hard but the quality is just not there.

They are doing fine domestically but when it comes to it they just can’t step up and perform at international level.

We don’t have a lot of options, there are not loads of players out there that could improve things. A successful team has to defend, create and score goals. We can’t keep the ball out of our goal and we can’t put it in the net at the other end.

People look at Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and say ‘well, if they can do it then why can’t we?’

They have got players that are standing up and being counted, they are a better unit than we are right now. They are better defensively than us and they don’t give much away.

Any manager that is tasked with rebuilding a team will make sure, first and foremost, that they are solid at the back and that they don’t concede goals.

But Gordon can’t go out and buy two £10million defenders and put them in. We have got what we have got and we have to accept that.

We don’t have enough quality players but the manager now has to prove he can get the best out of the squad again.

I am not surprised the SFA have made this decision. If they had gone the other way, they would have had to pay off Gordon and his staff and then brought in another manager and his people.

We don’t have a lot of money in Scottish football and the financial side of it would have been on their minds as well. I know a lot of people will disagree but I think it is right that Gordon remains in place.

There may be thousands of fans that are going to the games that aren’t happy but the decision has been made and now we need to stand by Gordon and the team.

It is very unlikely that we will make it to Russia but it can still happen and everyone has to get behind the national side now.

There are a lot of people that are disillusioned with the way that Scottish football is being run and the state of our game. The SFA have come in for a lot of criticism recently and people are concerned about the national side.

There are a generation of fans that have never seen Scotland at a major finals but there are a couple of generations that were accustomed to us reaching World Cups and European Championships.

The SFA is like any business, you have to look at the top and not the bottom. Any successful business has great people leading it at the top and that then funnels its way down the levels.

If things don’t improve for Scotland, there will be calls for major change at Hampden and the focus will switch from the manager to the SFA board. People will say that it is time for change and that everyone has to go.

We need people on these boards that are football men. How many people that are making decisions over managers or football strategy have actually been a player, a manager or a coach?

They are businessmen and they are in charge of the game in Scotland. You need football people involved, guys that have been there, seen it and done it.

You ask them who the best person is. They need to start speaking to football people.

It is fine having the business side of the SFA in order and that is important. But we need more people with football experience involved in the decision making process.

We need people with a voice, people that the supporters can associate with and can trust.

I think they would be happier seeing people like that rather than seeing the old pals act.

When one goes, the next one steps in without any problems because they have got their own wee clique there.

The spotlight has been on Gordon this week. It may well shine on others at Hampden sooner rather than later, though.