World Cup

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World Cup | Qualifiers

Mar 26, 2013 at 7.30pm UK

Serbia Serbia
2-0
Scotland

Charlie Mulgrew: 'Gordon Strachan needs time'

By Liam Power, Reporter | 25 March 2013

Scotland midfielder Charlie Mulgrew insists that Gordon Strachan has the full backing and belief of his squad ahead of Tuesday's trip to Serbia.

Scotland midfielder Charlie Mulgrew has insisted that Gordon Strachan needs time and patience to turn things around for the Tartan Army.

Strachan's first competitive game in charge ended in a disappointing 2-1 home defeat to Wales last Friday.

A daunting trip to Serbia now awaits the Scots tomorrow night, with the visitors also without Steven Fletcher and Robert Snodgrass in Belgrade.

The Celtic midfielder thinks that Scotland fans should take a long-term view of Strachan's plans and believes that he has the squad's full backing to make changes.

He told The Scotsman: "It's still very early days under the new manager. He doesn't have a magic wand and he will need time to get it right.

"Every manager needs time and at international level, he doesn't have us every day to work with. He's not got us for a long time when we do get together, so it will take time to get it right.

"The players have every belief in him. He has brought in his own ideas and he has a different way of playing. The manager was hurting like the rest of us after the Wales game, but already our focus is on Serbia on Tuesday. We still believe progress is being made with the new manager and we are progressing slowly under him."

Friday's defeat at Hampden Park marked the 27-year-old's competitive debut for his country.