Sam Allardyce for Scotland manager? David Moyes, the bookies’ favourite, or Malky McKay, already in-house at Hampden Park? So began the inevitable speculation, following the announcement from the Scottish Football Association that Gordon Strachan’s tenure was over after a second tournament qualification failure.

The statement said that the 60-year-old’s spell in charge had come to an end ‘by mutual consent’ but the SFA chief executive, Stewart Regan, added: “After almost five years the board felt it was time for a new direction to prepare for the Uefa Euro 2020 qualifying campaign and also the forthcoming Uefa Nations League.”

Allardyce’s name became prominent this week because, although he declined to declare an interest in the Scotland job, out of respect for Strachan – ‘somebody is already in that position,’ – the former England manager did not rule himself out. Moyes, meanwhile, has been looking for work since resigning as Sunderland boss on May 22, while McKay is already employed by the SFA as performance director.

Strachan might, in fact, have survived as he did when the Scots fell short of qualification for Euro 2016 but were cheered by the Tartan Army after the final group match against Gibraltar in Faro.