I was on a short break in Benidorm last week and watched the England v Scotland game on the TV in a Scottish pub.
It was frustrating viewing as I felt we played fairly well and created chances but the difference was that the English clinically took their opportunities while we didn’t.
I am still not sure at all about Gordon Strachan’s team selection and it seemed strange to see him make eight changes for match.
At this stage of a qualifying campaign, a manager shouldn’t have to be making all those alterations to the side – he should know his best starting XI.
You have to give him credit for sending the players out to push high up the park and put England under pressure but all three goals were avoidable.
I am not sure if Strachan’s position is now untenable but the pressure really is mounting on him and it will be interesting to see what Stewart Regan and his committee do about it.
Athough to be honest, I have not been overly impressed by the SFA supremo since he has been in charge.
If Strachan does leave or is pushed, I would like to see us turn to a top foreign coach.
Berti Vogts was slaughtered when he was Scotland boss but I am fairly sure his win record was close to Craig Brown’s.
Berti brought through a lot of boys like Scott Brown and Darren Fletcher and probably does not get the credit he deserves.
I also don’t buy into the suggestion that we simply don’t have enough quality players.
Almost everyone in the Scotland team the other night is playing at the highest level here or in England so we do have the players and we should be doing better.
We seem to be having this debate every couple of years about what has to be done to turn things around.
We have had think tanks and wide-ranging reviews but it would be good if the SFA actually turned to some former managers and players to ask their opinion.
I’m talking about the likes of Kenny Dalglish and Walter Smith – people who have been there and done it.
It seems bizarre that at a time when the Scotland team are in constant decline, we do not tap into this resource.
Dundee will look to pick up from where they left off before the international break when they head to Ibrox to play Rangers on Saturday.
The Dark Blues secured their second successive win when they beat Motherwell two weeks ago at Dens with a back-to-basics approach.
Of course, they rode their luck when the Steelmen had a perfectly good goal ruled out and I feel sorry for their manager Mark McGhee who has been handed an SFA rap for comments he made at the time.
Dundee boss Paul Hartley will have been working with his players all this week on a game plan for the Rangers match.
I won at Ibrox when I was at Celtic and you have to keep it tight and hope their fans will turn.
Dundee know only too well that losing an early goal there can prove costly – they conceded with just seconds on the clock in last season’s Scottish Cup game and Rangers romped to a 4-0 victory.
So Paul will have his players well warned about the importance of being solid in defence and hope that the new combination of Marcus Haber and Craig Wighton up top can take full advantage of any opportunities that come their way.
It was good to see a former Dundee team-mate of mine Dave Mackay move into management with Stirling Albion last week.
Dave was just a young lad when he was at Dens but he went on to have a fine career and of course, lifted the Scottish Cup when he was captain at St Johnstone.
He will have learned a lot at Saints working under Tommy Wright and Callum Davidson and I wish him luck as a manager.
However, I hope his good fortune kicks in AFTER Stirling play my team Arbroath this Saturday.
