Gordon Strachan was in full deflection mode last night as Scotland stared at the exit door three matches into their World Cup qualifying campaign.
Group F is shaping up as the weakest in the campaign giving Strachan a stato comfort blanket to cling to because Scotland are just a point off second place.
Eight of the nine group runners-up will go forward to the play-off phase with 14 teams that aren’t topping their group ahead of Scotland. In Group G Israel are in fourth place with six points.
Scotland’s ‘impressive’ points tally is almost all down to a win over makeweights Malta with even a badly faltering England side looking capable of inflicting more pain when the ‘Auld Enemies’ meet at Wembley next month.
Asked about his own future in the job under Stewart Regan Strachan trotted out some platitudes about the hurt of the players and supporters.
“At this moment in time the people I feel sorry for are the players,” he replied predictably.
“They’ve put so much work in over the last couple of games for little reward. They’re the ones I feel sorry for. They’re the ones I’m thinking about — how do we protect them, how do we send them back to their clubs and feel good about themselves? As a group, I’m really proud of them.
“The second group I feel really sorry for is the supporters who came here tonight. You feel for them.
“I’m not sitting here thinking about myself. I’m thinking about these lads and how we look after them, how in the future we give the supporters something to sing about away from home.”
Turning to the comfort stats Strachan added: “Even over the period of a couple of weeks, it’s amazing how form can change. Players can come through.
‘(The game at Wembley) is another opportunity to get three points. We would like to be better off but we are one point off a play-off place. It’s a crazy group.”
The sensitive Scotland manager is unlikely to spend the coming days online, in social media or reading newspapers as his own performance is slaughtered.