Celtic stars are crucial if McLeish is to succeed

GORDON Strachan’s tenure as Scotland manager ended amid excruciating claims of poor genetics in Ljubljana 13 months ago.

In reality, however, the seeds of his downfall were sown long before then through an unwillingness to select from the best specimens at his disposal.

The outset of Scotland’s World Cup qualifiers happened to coincide with Celtic’s renaissance under Brendan Rodgers.

Even accounting for the fact Scott Brown had, at that juncture, called time on his international career, not seeing a single player from the Parkhead team start the openers with Malta and Lithuania raised many eyebrows, as did Kieran Tierney as the only Celt in the 3-0 drubbing in Slovakia.

Although Brown’s return against England at Wembley, alongside James Forrest and Leigh Griffiths, did not bring the desired result, there were positives in the performance that night which proved to be something of a turning point.

Over the next four games with Slovakia, England, Lithuania and Malta, Tierney, Brown, Griffiths and Stuart Armstrong were ever-presents, while Forrest was only benched for the draw against England.

Ten points were subsequently accrued, making for a grandstand finish. But without the injured Brown and Armstrong for the final double-header with Slovakia and Slovenia, another four points was not enough to reach the play-offs.

Whatever gripes Strachan could justifiably have over being axed after finishing the campaign far stronger than he’d started it, he must privately have harboured regrets about not utilising players from the country’s form team sooner than he did.

In Albania on Saturday, the chances of Alex McLeish doing likewise would appear somewhere between slim and zero. With a squad depleted through call-offs, pure necessity will see to that.

Brown is now finally retired, Griffiths is injured and Armstrong is a Southampton player.

Yet Celtic’s contribution to the national cause may still prove hugely significant in Shkodër.

In Stephen O’Donnell’s absence, Tierney will likely fill in at right-back. Forrest and Callum McGregor are in the form of their lives and would bring dynamism wherever they are deployed while Ryan Christie, fresh from signing a new contract, is arguably the form player in the country.

‘It’s not just lately — as long as they’ve been playing they’ve made a contribution,’ said their Celtic team-mate Mikael Lustig.

‘Even when he wasn’t in the team, I’ve always said Cal was one of the most important players in the squad and now he’s starting every game.

‘He’s proved how much he has developed under the gaffer.

‘James has been flying and when he’s on form there’s no better player in Scotland in my point of view.

‘KT is KT. He’s never going to have a bad game and we always know what we are going to get.

‘Now you can add Ryan to that list — he has been brilliant.’

In fairness to Strachan, McGregor’s omissions at the outset of the last campaign was never a real issue, as the midfielder had not yet cemented himself in Rodgers’ plans.

By that fateful night in Slovenia, though, he had become utterly invaluable at club level yet somehow managed to remain stationed on the bench.

The issue for McLeish this week is surely not if to play the 25-year-old, but where. Capable of featuring on the left, centrally or in the deeper role he’s filled in Brown’s absence, his adroitness in all of them leaves McLeish with a problem of the right kind.

‘He has four or five,’ said Lustig when asked to name McGregor’s best role. ‘He’s a really important guy to have because he can play everywhere. Players like that make the gaffer really happy.’

They are by no means the only men hoping to wear Dark Blue who will report with an exemplary attitude, of course.

But after recent indifference from some quarters, hearing Rodgers talk on Sunday of the honour his Scotland contingent feel was pleasing all the same.

‘I wouldn’t be surprised if they all played for Scotland but I’m not picking the team,’ added Lustig. ‘I don’t like it when others talk about my team so I won’t say too much about Scotland.

‘But of course they wouldn’t let anyone down. They’re top-class players and good lads so they’ll be important for Scotland.’