THERE is nothing glorious about this failure. This wasn’t going down fighting, it was going out with a whimper.

Another campaign has come to a futile end and now the blame game has begun. Unfortunately for Gordon Strachan, this is one he is guaranteed to win. And fairly comfortably as well.

No matter the level, it is the manager that always carries the can and shoulders the responsibility. It is Strachan, therefore, who has to pay the price.

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Don’t be fooled by the late rally in Group F, don’t be taken in by the soundbites from the players or the praise for their efforts in training and commitment to the cause.

In a results driven business, ours speak for themselves. Yet again, Scotland got what they deserved from a campaign.

The slogan from the Scottish FA was ‘This Time’. Maybe it will be next time, or the one after that.

The blueprint for qualification was clear at the start of the section. The games with Lithuania and Malta had to be negotiated without a stumble, Slovakia and Slovenia had to be beaten at Hampden and a big result had to be earned on the road.

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It was a task that proved beyond Strachan’s side, though. For Georgia last time out, read Lithuania on this occasion.

Now, it is time for another manager to be given a chance to get more out of what resources the country has at its disposal.

There have been improvements in recent matches, but the steps forward haven’t been taken quickly enough and they haven’t been big enough.

And on the night where it mattered most, when the stakes were at their highest, Strachan’s side slumped in Slovenia. It was all so typically Scotland, and so depressingly familiar.

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The tactical switches didn’t pay dividends, the faith in certain players wasn’t repaid and defensive frailties were again exposed.

It can’t be written off as one of those nights. There have been too many of them during Strachan’s reign for this performance, this outcome, to be considered out of the blue.

Scotland had to punch well above their weight. Instead, they have been counted out as self-inflicted blows proved to be their undoing once again.

Strachan deserves credit for restoring a bit of pride in the National team in recent years, but having tried and tried again, there is not enough evidence to suggest he should get a third crack at it.

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The dissenting voices may not have been in the majority but they were vocal at the end of the Euro qualifiers. A warm reception from the Tartan Army after the win over Gibraltar allowed the Hampden hierarchy enough wiggle room to back their man, though.

They did so once again in the aftermath of the defeat to England at Wembley but the gamble of sticking with Strachan didn’t pay off and his future must be top of Stewart Regan’s to-do list this morning.

His tenure should not be written off as a complete failure, but Strachan was hired to end our wait to return to a major finals and he hasn’t delivered.

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Strachan isn’t the biggest problem in Scottish football, but he is the one that is easiest to fix for the SFA whilst the myriad of longer-term issues in our game are addressed.

The case for retaining the status quo is often backed up by the argument that there is nobody who would take the job and would be better at it than Strachan. But if you don’t look, how do you know who is out there?

If the SFA feel that another manager could achieve better results, then the loyalty and gratitude towards Strachan shouldn’t come into the equation.

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Scotland don’t need to rip it all up and start again. The foundations of a decent squad are already there, but the mentality must change.

The hard-luck stories need wiped out, the so near yet so far narrative consigned to the history books. There can be no shrug of the shoulders and a sigh of ‘well, there’s always next time’.

The manager will take the responsibility for the failure of his players. But will Regan and his board take the responsibility for the failure of their manager?

The inquiry will focus on Strachan. The review should be more wide-ranging, however.