STRACHAN MUST TAKE HEED

GARY LINEKER is hardly noted for his Jeremy Paxmanesque interrogations. For £2million a year, the England legend scans a Match Of The Day autocue before bowling easy balls for Alan Shearer to straight-bat down the middle. It’s cosy and unchallenging. All of which should worry Gordon Strachan. Because minutes before Celtic’s match in Israel the other night Lineker, fronting the BT Sport coverage, aimed a couple of bouncing balls at his studio guest. Analysing Leigh Griffiths and his Scotland caps haul, Lineker asked the national boss why the SPFL’s top scorer had only seven caps? ‘At international level you need to retain the ball,’ said Strachan, ‘that’s the big thing…’ ‘Is it?’ asked Lineker. ‘Sticking it in the net is the big thing, Gordon…’ Gauging the national mood from social media is a dangerous business. Strachan places internet opinion somewhere between Kestrel drinkers and devil dog owners. But if opinion on Twitter, Facebook and anywhere else is a measure of how people feel about his tenure, then the Scotland boss has a problem. Because the first World Cup qualifier in Malta hasn’t been played yet. And Lineker’s interview struck a chord. The knives are well and truly out. Rangers fans think Lee Wallace and Jason Holt should be in there, while Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes says he now ‘expects’ no Dons players in the squad. And apparently Mrs Lesley Strachan is not happy at the axing of Shaun Maloney. This stuff can be ignored if we reach major finals. But the pattern is now set. A Scotland boss is allowed one failed campaign. One strike. And if he starts the next one badly, he’s a goner.