Ally McCoist insists Scotland’s appalling start to the World Cup qualifying campaign is the reason they failed to land a play-off place.

The national team lost out on second place in Group F to Slovakia on goal difference after battling to a 2-2 draw in Slovenia on Sunday.

But the former Rangers and Scotland striker reckons four points from the first four games in the group is not good enough.

He said: “It never went wrong on Sunday. When you look at the Slovenia draw in isolation, it’s actually a more than an acceptable result. 

“Slovenia haven’t lost a game at home in two or three years and haven’t lost a goal there in the campaign – so, when you look at the result, it’s more than acceptable.

“Where the campaign has been lost is certainly in the first four games. 

“Scoring a late equaliser at home to Lithuania, the poorest performance of the campaign was definitely in Slovakia.

“And if we defend Harry Kane’s equaliser at Hampden, which we should have, we would have got second place.”

Meanwhile, former Scotland striker Kris Boyd expects Gordon Strachan to walk away because he will not have forgotten about the criticism he received during the failed World Cup qualifying campaign.

The 60-year-old’s future is again in doubt, just as it was last November following a Group F 3-0 defeat to England.

And Kilmarnock marksman Boyd, who was signed for Middlesbrough by Strachan in 2010, reckons he will leave his position as Scotland manager.

Boyd said: “I think the SFA would want him to stay and will appreciate the job he has done. 

“But the criticism that Gordon got earlier on in the campaign, he will not have forgotten about. 

“I would be very surprised if he comes back for another shot.

“Gordon will have had his mind made up because he is not one for forgetting about what people said at the start of the campaign.”