GORDON Strachan is more concerned about Scotland beating Slovenia and keeping their Russia 2018 qualifying bid alive than avoiding the sack as manager, according to his assistant Mark McGhee.
The national team need to win their fifth Group F match at Hampden on Sunday evening to stand any chance of reaching the World Cup finals next year.
Failure to overcome the second-placed side in their section would end their hopes and make Strachan’s position untenable after over four years in charge.
However, McGhee is adamant that his former Aberdeen team mate, whose side drew 1-1 with Canada in an international friendly at Easter Road on Wednesday night, is only focused on getting a positive result.
“The sense I get is that he is not thinking beyond the game,” he said. “Gordon loves the job and wants to win this game.
“But more than anything else, he wants to win it to keep us in contention with a chance of qualifying. Of course, within himself, he wants to win because he wants to keep doing the job.
“He wants to go into the England game still in with a chance. So I don't think he is blase about it or saying: 'If we win we win, if we lose we lose and if I lose my job I lose my job.'
“I don't think that at all. I think he desperately wants to keep the job. But I don't think he is letting that worry him.
“I don't think whether he loses his job or not has any bearing on the team he picks or the tactics or how he approaches the job on Sunday night.
“We are playing in the present and thinking in the present. All that matters is Sunday night.”
McGhee continued: “If we win on Sunday night the chances are we will be going into the England game and having the same conversation.
“What if we don't win? And Gordon's job. So you have to take it game by game. We have to live with that and I think it makes it little bit easier.”
McGhee insisted the Scotland camp hadn’t been affected by the poor turnout in the Canada match, only 9,150 fans were in attendance, and could raise the spirits of the Tartan Army with a victory this weekend.
“I do think that results change perceptions,” he said. “If we win on Sunday night then we’ll suddenly all feel different again. But we need to win to have any chance of qualifying. But there’s no kidding anyone on and we need to win.”
Meanwhile, James Morrison, the West Bromwich Albion midfielder who had been a doubt for the Slovenia game with an ankle injury, and Matt Ritchie, who had been nursing a groin strain, both came through a training session at the Scotland base at Mar Hall outside Erskine yesterday.
McGhee is confident that both Morrison and Ritchie - who will, if fit, be strong contenders for a place in the starting line-up – will be available for selection for the visit of Slovenia on Sunday.
“It was a very positive training,” he said. “All the Celtic boys obviously trained and James Morrison and Matt Ritchie who hadn’t been training. James was the best player in training so we can expect he’ll be fine for the game. James was outstanding. Matt Ritchie had a groin issue, but he trained and is fine.”
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