GORDON STRACHAN is in no rush to get back into club football any time soon but can understand why so many of his managerial peers return time after time to have another crack at it.

There are few professions quite like it. There is no shortage of praise and recognition whenever a manager is doing well - Strachan was yesterday announcing the quartet who have made the shortlist for the Cheque Centre PFA Scotland manager of the year award - but the exposure and glare is just as bright during the difficult times, too. Any manager who has tried in vain to arrest a poor run of results will know there is nowhere to hide as his team slides inexorably down the table, the scrutiny from fans and media becoming increasingly intense the longer it goes on. Only a sudden upturn in fortunes or, more likely, a sacking can bring it to an end. And yet there are some, like Strachan, who would have it no other way.

Even the greatest managers have endured hardships along the way. Alex Ferguson was sacked by St Mirren and struggled in his first few years at Manchester United before finding the secret to eternal success. Others can share similar tales of dark days. Strachan believes it is an inherent love of the game that keeps every manager coming back for more.

"It is worth it for that small hit of making players better or winning a big game," revealed the Scotland manager. "The love of the game makes you come back for more. You don't want to be anywhere else.

"It is a fantastic world we [managers] live in. Whatever people say about it this is as good an environment as you can work in. If you are a coach and see people get better it gives you comfort.

"I like to see my players and coaching staff enjoying themselves but as a manager you just get in the car and go home. One of the great things for me is ex-players phoning up two or three times a week asking for advice. They are asking if they should do this or this, asking what is the best thing to do. That is great because it means they have trusted me. It is a great thing if players have trusted you. That is a bonus. Medals come along, but the thought of helping people is a much more rewarding thing. "

Difficult times, added Strachan, should be viewed simply as an occupational hazard. "Even Sir Alex had a couple of body blows when he was sacked by St Mirren. He went to Man United and it didn't go that well, but he came back from that. Everybody has to take a hit.

"Once you take the hits you come back. Mick McCarthy is a favourite of mine because he keeps coming back. People like that. In the good times you have a glow of satisfaction, but then the bad bits drag you to places you don't think you can come back from. But we do.

"It's too cruel to give examples but there are times when you have had enough and then three days later away you go again. Young managers always ask me how you get over a defeat. You don't. There is nothing you can do. You just have to sit there and take the hit."

It is not just by looking at the trophy cabinet that a manager should be judged. "Trophies can't be the only thing," added Strachan. "It's about the expectation of the club that you go to. Can you fulfil that? I think that's good if you can do that. If it's Ross County you are not going to win the league so what is your expectation? There are all different types."

The strain of international management arrives in shorter, sharper bursts than its club counterpart and Strachan seems quite happy about that. The intensity, however, is similar but in a much more compressed timeframe. It is why Strachan is planning a week's holiday before Scotland play Qatar in a friendly on June 5 ahead of the key Euro 2016 qualifying tie away to the Republic of Ireland the following week.

"You need a week off before going headlong into to two weeks of football," he revealed "With club management your body gets used to it. But because I don't do full-time football anymore it is just "bang - what happened there?" That's why I need to give myself a rest. If it was still the 24-hour madness then my body would be able to handle it. But, coming from the level of where my heartbeat is now to where it goes to [during international games], I need a break."