KRIS BOYD has called upon the Scottish Football Association to make immediate moves to secure the national coach, Gordon Strachan, on a new long-term contract no matter how the qualification campaign for Euro 2016 develops.

Boyd knows Strachan's methods well from their together at Middlesbrough during an admittedly ill-fated period and believes the vast improvement in Scotland's fortunes over the past couple of years rests entirely at his door.

His concern, however, is that clubs in England will realise that. They may come calling before too long and, given Strachan's enjoyment of day-to-day involvement in developing players, he may just be interested.

"I think it would be pretty crazy if you don't get it sorted out pretty soon," said Boyd ahead of the all-important double header against Georgia and Germany.

"Everybody who is Scottish is going to games again with a smile on their face. They like what they are seeing.

"The hierarchy of Scottish football will know what they are doing. They might not have sorted out a contract, but, behind the scenes, they will probably have spoken to Gordon to see where he wants to be and where he wants to go.

"Gordon might have looked at this as an opportunity a couple of years ago to come back and prove to himself and everybody else that he is still a really good manager and what happened at Middlesbrough was a one-off. You never know.

"He has turned everything round and, over the years, has shown that he is one of the best Scottish managers out there.

"All of the improvement with Scotland is down to him, I would say.

"I don't see why teams in England would not be interested in him. He is one of those guys who wants to be involved every day.

"At the same time, I know he is still doing a lot of TV work down the road and that might suit him.

"This might be his dream job."

Strachan took Boyd to the Riverside Stadium from Rangers in the summer of 2010. It proved to be something of a nightmare for both of them with Boyd's career going into a tailspin that saw him try his luck in America and Turkey before ending up back where it all began at Kilmarnock.

Strachan, meanwhile, walked away one year into a four-year contract, giving up any rights to compensation, with the side just two points clear of the relegation places in the Championship.

"He was trying to cut things back and get players out and he probably got to the stage where he knew that it wasn't going to turn for him," recalled Boyd.

"It is easy to pinpoint the things that went wrong at Middlesbrough, but you need to look at what he did for Celtic, what he did for Southampton, what he did for Coventry.

"He had a setback, but I think he has come back from it stronger and that is what top sportsmen and managers do."

Boyd earned 18 caps for Scotland until his final involvement under Strachan in 2013. He was always a player who judged himself purely on goals scored.

Taking that into account, what does he make of Strachan's first-choice centre-forward, Steven Fletcher, a fellow with just four goals in 20 Scotland appearances, but, without question, a vital component of the side thanks to his excellent link-up play?

"When you look at Scotland going forward, you are playing with four attacking players," he said. "We are winning games. Until that changes, I don't think there is any need to pinpoint players and say: 'He's not doing this or he's not doing that'.

"A lot of teams over the years have relied on goalscorers pulling them out of a hole and, at international level, you cannot do that.

"Steven Fletcher has a role within that team and he will be proud and happy with what he is doing.

"At that level, unless you are Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, gone are the days in which you depend on one man."

With Poland and Germany ahead of Scotland in the group and heading for Hampden Park in the immediate future, Boyd believes it is essential that Strachan's side win in Georgia tomorrow evening.

"I wouldn't say it is must, but it is just about as close as you can get," said Boyd, now back at Rugby Park for a third spell. "From the performances shown in the qualifying group, I think we are equipped to go to the finals and represent the nation.

"There have maybe been a couple of times in the past when, if we had qualified, you'd have thought we'd just be making up the numbers.

"We gave a good account of ourselves in the Euro 2008 campaign, but having Italy, France and Ukraine in the group probably suited us at the time. If we'd had to come out and play against them, rather than containing them, we probably would have got battered."

*Kris Boyd was speaking at a William Hill media event. William Hill is a proud supporter of Scotland.