Gordon Strachan will remain as Scotland boss after the Scottish FA board gave their backing to the manager following a five-hour Hampden meeting, STV understands.

The 59-year-old’s future came under increased scrutiny in the wake of the 3-0 defeat to England at Wembley, which has left the country’s chances of ending their exile from a major tournament hanging by a thread.

STV understands all eight Scottish FA board members were present at the national stadium on Thursday to discuss the manager’s position and they decided he should remain in charge for the remainder of the qualifying campaign.

Scotland have taken four points from a possible 12 in this campaign and have only won three of their last 10 competitive matches, two of which came against minnows Gibraltar.

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In a statement, Scottish FA chief executive Stewart Regan said: “The board have considered the team’s performance since the start of the campaign and subsequently discussed the disappointing points total after four matches.

“Gordon shared the disappointment of the board and, of course, the fans. He is adamant, however, that we can recover the position and believes a play-off place still to be attainable.

“The board are convinced that he still has the hunger for this challenge and we have four home qualifiers in 2017 to rejuvenate our campaign.

“We support Gordon unanimously in improving our qualification prospects.”

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On Thursday, Strachan’s assistant Mark McGhee said he’d be “amazed” if his friend and colleague quit his position.

The national team boss has also received backing from several figures including former Scotland boss Walter Smith.

Strachan told the Scottish FA’s website that he believes qualification is still achievable.

He added: “We were all extremely disappointed with the result on Friday night but having reflected on our performance, I still believe we can get ourselves back into contention in the group.

“There are still 18 points to play for and the players, the staff and I, as in previous games, will give everything we have to turn things around.

“I have said consistently that our fans deserve success and a return to a major tournament finals.

“Although we have had a difficult start to the campaign, I firmly believe that this group of players, together with our supporters, can maximise our chances of a play-off place, starting with the home match against Slovenia in March.”

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After failing to reach Euro 2016, the former Celtic manager signed a new two-year deal to remain at the helm with Strachan saying the rousing reception he received against Gibraltar was a factor in taking on the challenge of the World Cup qualifiers.

Performances and results deteriorated over a sustained period, however, with the exception of the opening 5-1 win over Malta.

A late James McArthur goal salvaged a 1-1 draw at home to Lithuania before the Scots were comprehensively beaten 3-0 in both Slovakia and England.

Now he will focus on the six remaining qualifiers in 2017 as he attempts to breathe new life into Scotland’s bid to reach Russia.