IN Gordon Strachan's mind, experimenting is something best left to scientists in laboratories.

A friendly double-header at the end of a qualifying campaign would seem the ideal time for any international manager to deviate from the tried and trusted, to give a run-out to "the next big thing" or to tamper with the tactics. Strachan, though, is unconvinced by the benefits of chopping and changing.

The Scotland manager yesterday named his squad for the matches against USA at Hampden on November 15 and Norway in Molde four days later and it was along usual lines. The only new face was Scott Fox, the Partick Thistle goalkeeper called up for the first time in place of the injured Allan McGregor, while there were returns for Steven Fletcher of Sunderland and Queens Park Rangers' Matt Phillips. There was no place for Stevie May, the golden boy earning rave reviews at St Johnstone, no return for Kris Boyd despite a glut of goals for Kilmarnock, and no figures out of left-field included largely for the sake it.

The message was clear: continuity is king. After a difficult start, Strachan has progressed to the point where a warm fuzzy glow now surrounds the national team. Three victories in the last four competitive matches, and a strong performance in a narrow friendly defeat against England at Wembley, have restored a sense of pride at the back end of an otherwise disappointing qualifying campaign. A heavy loss in either of the forthcoming friendlies with an experimental team could undo a lot of that good work and Strachan sees no point of risking it.

"The priority in these games is to win," he said. "That's what we set out to do. I like the players to go back to their clubs with a spring in their step after games here and with a feelgood factor as well. Do we just say, 'okay, we will experiment and try all this or that, putting in six or seven new players?' I don't think that's right. You try to keep a nucleus and then try to fit in one or two players. Also, these results count towards the FIFA rankings.

"It is like when you want to introduce one or two young players to a team - you don't want to be making six or seven changes at the same time. That is so the nucleus can look after them and keep the system going. It does make a difference how you play in these games because you can't just switch it on and off. We will be preparing as if it is a normal game."

Nor is Strachan placing any great emphasis on the team performing with any real elan or style. It would be nice, he admits, if Scotland could defeat both USA and Norway with a brand of football that draws gasps of admiration from the crowd but there is a suspicion on the manager's part about how many teams actually do that these days. He points towards the jubilant Cardiff City players after their scrappy derby win over Swansea City as further evidence that winning is all that matters.

"We are all looking for that winning style but I watched games all over the country at the weekend and don't recall too many of them winning in style," Strachan said. "I think that is a real bonus, even a myth, that you can win in style. You just have to ask Malky [Mackay, the Cardiff manager] how he felt yesterday - absolutely terrific I bet. It was a real man's performance from his team and himself.

"We were looking for style from Swansea but do you think they are caring about style today? No, they looked like they were going back on that bus really upset. Everybody wants to win and that's what we want to do. If you get a performance within that, great. But there is not much of that going on nowadays."

Strachan has again included Alan Hutton in his squad despite the full-back not having played a single minute for Aston Villa this season. The former Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur defender seems certain to leave Villa Park in January and his international manager would happily provide a reference. "Does Alan give me a problem? Not up until now, no, because his last three or four performances for Scotland were as good as I have seen. I can't understand why he is not playing football somewhere else at a good club. You will need to ask Alan that.

"It is not as if he is a problem kid or anything, He is far from that. I don't think it's my right to [push for Hutton to move] but I would be more willing to speak to people about him. You need to give him credit for being able to turn up and play the way he has. I hope he can keep going because his partnership with Barry Bannan [down Scotland's right flank] has been excellent and the pair work very well together."

Strachan was pleased to see Darren Fletcher return to football last week after a 10-month absence. The Manchester United midfielder is making a slow return to fitness after battling a chronic bowel condition and Strachan won't be rushing to include him in the squad. "I think we just leave him," he said. "The thing I'm looking for is his first game with the Man United first team. That will signal to us that we can then come on board and ask, 'can he help us?' Which he can, obviously. But we'll leave him until then."

n Tickets for Scotland v USA have been reduced to £5 for kids and from £12 for adults. Call 0844 875 1873 or visit www.scottishfa.co.uk.