GORDON Strachan believes his Scotland players have shown they have the resolve needed to win their final two Russia 2018 qualifiers - by coming back after their chances were written off.
The national team can finish second in Group F and secure a World Cup play-off place if they beat Slovakia at Hampden on October 5 and Slovenia away in Ljubljana three days later.
It is a position that few members of the Tartan Army thought they would be in when they were sitting second bottom of their group with just four points after four games of their campaign.
There were calls for Strachan to be sacked as manager after Scotland drew with Lithuania at home and lost 3-0 away to both Slovakia and England.
However, Scott Brown and his team mates have rallied since then and have picked up 10 points from a possible 12 with wins over Slovenia, Lithuania and Malta and a draw with England.
The matches against Slovakia and Slovenia next month will be difficult to prevail in, but Strachan has faith in his men being able to cope with the enormity of the occasions.
“I would never have said this was impossible, but it was going to be hard,” he said. “But they have shown they can deal with hard. That they can deal with pressure.
“It’s hard when you are losing games, trust me, it’s hard. That’s the time you are tested as a football player and as a manager and coach.
“I didn’t call for a sports psychologist. We didn’t start drinking more water. We were alright, we did the same things, believe me.
“It’s pleasing when you are looking at guys in the dressing room after and everyone is clapping and looking forward to the next game with each other.
“They are talking and giving each other a round of applause so that’s good. I’m pleased watching them and the staff enjoying themselves.
“There are other things coming through at the minute that make us all excited. The young players give us real hope. But, again, it’s in certain areas.
“The right side of midfield I could have picked four - any one from four that would have done a great job there.”
Strachan admitted he had no problem with the criticism he was subject to by the media and Scotland supporters after the national team’s poor start to their Russia 2018 qualification bid.
“I can understand that, I don’t have a problem with that. I don’t take any offence, as long as it’s done in the right manner.
“I’ve no problem with people questioning things, as long as it’s in the right manner and not personal that’s fine. It’s fine.”
Asked what had made him decide to stay on, he said: “There were a couple of things. I like working with the players and I like my job.
“But I find it difficult and I don’t want to go into what my thoughts are, my thought process. I really have to keep my thoughts to myself.
“Once you walk away from games and there is nothing there, if there is no hope, that’s the time you go, ‘that’s it’. But we still have a chance.
“I can get excited. Once I get here, once I meet this group, I will go ‘bang, here we go’. It’s the same thing again.”
Strachan felt his players were subdued in the 2-0 win over Malta because five of them - Brown, Grant Hanley, James McArthur, Charlie Mulgrew and Leigh Griffiths - were one booking away from picking up suspensions which would rule them out of the Slovakia game.
He is optimistic they will perform better in their next two matches.
“The players couldn’t commit 100 per cent to everything,” he said. “I think you saw that many times. I think that was players just saying to themselves, ‘I don’t want to get booked here, the game is finished, I’m not wanting booked’.”
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