Scotland

Darren Fletcher calls for Scotland continuity

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 23 March 2016

Scotland midfielder Darren Fletcher is hoping that the managerial continuity brought by Gordon Strachan will help the team qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

Scotland midfielder Darren Fletcher has said that their improved managerial consistency could help the team end their wait for an appearance at a major international tournament.

The Tartan Army have not made it to a tournament since the 1998 World Cup, and since Fletcher made his debut in 2003 he has played under seven different managers.

However, despite his failure to reach Euro 2016 this summer, current boss Gordon Strachan has been handed a two-year extension to take him through to the next World Cup, and Fletcher is hoping that such continuity will bear fruit.

"Continuity is not something I've had in my Scotland career. There's been a lot of changes in managers," he told reporters.

"There's been times we have started groups really well and been on the verge of qualifying only for managers to be taken away to club jobs. We've seen the opposite when managers haven't done so well and lost their jobs.

"To have that consistency over a couple of campaigns is not something I've had in my Scotland career. Everyone knows if you stick with the manager and give him time when he is doing the right things, then ultimately you're going to get success from that."

Scotland have been drawn alongside England, Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania and Malta in qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, with only one of those teams qualifying automatically.