Sturgeon will back Strachan if he wants to stay
The First Minister said she was "bitterly disappointed" after Scotland's hopes of reaching next year's World Cup were dashed
Nicola Sturgeon says she will back Gordon Strachan if he decides to stay on as Scotland manager.
It follows last night’s 2-2 draw in Slovenia which ended hopes of reaching the World Cup in Russia next year.
It also means it will have been more than 20 years since Scotland last reached a major football tournament.
Speaking to our Political Correspondent Alan Smith at the SNP Conference in Glasgow, the First Minister said she was “bitterly disappointed” but insisted she was a huge Gordon Strachan fan.
She said: “We're trying to take the positives from it, and I know it’s difficult the morning after, we came closer to qualifying in this campaign than we have done for some time.
"The team got better during the course of the qualification games, I think it was probably the early performances that sealed our fate.”
On the future of Gordon Strachan, she said he had her backing if he stays on.
She added: “I am a huge Gordon Strachan fan. I remember watching him play for Scotland as a wee girl and always loving watching him play so I have always been a fan of Gordon.
“Leading the national team is not an easy thing for anybody to do in any country probably. Sometimes I look at football managers leading Scotland and think the pressure on them is greater than a First Minister or Prime Minister.
“We owe him gratitude for the job he has done. His future is now up to him and consultation with the SFA, if he decides to stay then I’ll back him to do that."
Gordon Strachan refused to discuss his future following Sunday's draw in Ljubljana.