IF there’s one thing that tends to attract more brickbats than a Scotland manager failing to take his side into the World Cup play-offs it’s the actual stadium the national side play in.

Hampden Park may have been the home of Scottish football since 1903 but this old lady of Mount Florida, which has had more nips, tucks and facelifts than an ageing Hollywood dame, continues to come under scrutiny.

These are concerning times for those who hold Queen’s Park dear. Alan Hutchison, the president, has expressed his fears for the club’s future if the Scottish Football Association decide not to renew the lease on Hampden Park.

Hampden's status as the venue for internationals and cup finals is under threat after the SFA wrote to clubs, the SPFL, the Scottish Government and PFA Scotland canvassing opinions on the stadium's value when the current lease ends in 2020.

The Spiders are celebrating their 150th anniversary this year while Hutchison was at Hampden last Sunday night as the club were inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame.

Amid these commemorations, a cloud of uncertainty hangs over Scotland’s oldest club with a decision on the Hampden outcome expected by the end of the year.

 “I hope they will stay," said Hutchison. "If they don’t stay it will not be good news for Queen's Park. Since this version of Hampden was opened in 1903, Queens Park have relied on the income for its business model, whether run by ourselves or for the last 17 years by the SFA on the leasing agreement. If Queen's Park did not have the income Hampden brings then Queen's Park would not be able to operate our youth programmes and community programmes in the manner we currently do. Our model would have to change and then it would come down to what happens to this stadium. I don’t know the answer.”

Asked if Queen’s Park could take the financial hit, Hutchison added warily: “I think the football club would have to examine its finances very carefully.

“It’s a difficult one. At the end of the day it comes down to money. I’d like to think the history of Queen’s Park, what we have done for the game and what we continue to do might count for something. I’d hope we’d retain some degree of affection and support throughout the Scottish game.”

Hampden continues to come under criticism in some quarters for its location, general access and restricted views.

"A lot of the criticism is unjustified," responded Hutchison. "If you were at the England game or the Slovakia game there was no doubt that when Hampden is full the atmosphere is terrific. In fact Harry Kane said something about it after the England game. I think criticism of parking and access are unjustified. There are three stations, plenty of buses, roads to get in and out, parking is no worse than at any of the big stadiums in Glasgow. Yes, you have an oval stadium and some of the seats will be far away from the park but if you didn’t have an oval stadium you wouldn’t have got the Commonwealth Games and the investment that brought in to the city and the country.

“I accept if you have games that you’ll not attract big crowds to then yes the atmosphere suffers. You can take them elsewhere which does happen. But for the important internationals, Scotland should be here and for the cup finals as well. The neutrality of Hampden is extremely important.”

Given Queen’s Park’s heritage, perhaps the SFA have something of a moral obligation to stay put? “I wouldn’t use the word moral in connection to football,” said Hutchison with a wry response.