SCOTLAND captain Darren Fletcher gave Gordon Strachan his full backing ahead of tonight’s match against Malta, insisting continuity in management will help the Scots’ quest to end a 20-year wait for an appearance at a major finals.
Strachan takes charge of an opening qualifier for the second time as the bid to reach the 2018 World Cup in Russia begins.
He is now the longest-serving Scotland manager since Craig Brown, the last man to lead the national team to a summer tournament.
Fletcher has played under all of Brown’s successors – Berti Vogts, Walter Smith, Alex McLeish, George Burley and Craig Levein as well as Strachan – and is pleased the latter remained in position despite failing to lead Scotland to this year’s European Championship finals.
The Scottish Football Association had no appetite for further change and neither did the fans, who helped persuade Strachan to stay on by showing their support during their last Euro 2016 group game against Gibraltar.
Fletcher hopes Strachan remaining can help Scotland get off to a good start against a side which employs a five-man defence.
The West Brom midfielder said: “What gives me the most belief is the continuity in the management side of things. Throughout my Scotland career it’s been stop-start. We’ve done really well under managers and that’s been cut short because they’ve gone to clubs off the back of that.
“And then there has been the times where managers haven’t done so well and we’ve had to start all over again halfway through a campaign. With the manager staying and going again for another campaign, it’s good.
“There were a lot of positives from the last campaign in terms of the way we approached games and attacked teams. With that continuity and with the young exciting players we have and our regulars, we have a real good blend and balance that I believe can take us forward. We all know how the manager wants to play and what he likes his players to do in certain positions but we didn’t qualify for the last tournament and he’s always looking to expand new ideas. But we’ve got that solid base where we know what he expects.”
Fletcher’s presence in the squad also allows Strachan to retain some stability despite losing previous skipper Scott Brown to international retirement. “It’s nice to be captain again,” the 32-year-old said. “It’s something I took great pride in. Circumstances meant I wasn’t captain for a while but Scott did a fantastic job and then I was there beside him.
“But things change quickly in football and it’s me who is hoping to lead the country in this campaign and looking to qualify.”
Steven Naismith this week highlighted how crucial the Malta clash was, but Fletcher is taking a longer-term perspective. “You stress the importance of the a victory before every game,” he said. “You want to start campaigns as strongly as you can and get as many points on the board as possible.
“It gives you a bit of confidence going forward but at the same time not starting well doesn’t mean you are out of it. It’s about getting there in the end and getting enough points to get you into the position of either qualifying automatically or second place for the play-offs.
“We’ll take it from a slow start or a quick start, whatever way it comes. It’s a highly competitive group and everyone will feel like they can win games and take points from each other. But we’ve had good starts in the past and not qualified so it’s not the be all and end all.”
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