GET SHORTY

Size is not a problem for Leigh, Boyd tells Gordon

FORMER Scotland captain Tom Boyd has hailed Leigh Griffiths as the country’s biggest striking talent — despite Gordon Strachan hinting he’s too small for the national team.

Griffiths yesterday changed his name on Twitter to ‘#Shorty’ in response to comments from the Scotland boss that height is a big consideration when it comes to picking the national team.

Strachan hasn’t ruled the prolific Parkhead forward out of his plans. But the Scotland manager’s desire to ‘have to have a certain amount of height on the field to defend corner kicks’ saw him field Chris Martin and Steven Fletcher as Scotland earned just one point from six against Lithuania and Slovakia to leave the nation’s World Cup dreams hanging by a thread.

But 72-times capped Boyd says size doesn’t matter when, like Griffiths, you possess a leap like Henrik Larsson. And he backed the 26-year-old to win over his latest managerial doubter to claim the Scotland starting berth he covets.

‘Leigh Griffiths is Scotland’s top

striker,’ said Boyd, who was in the last Scotland team to grace a major finals, at France ’98. ‘There are certainly schools of thought that you bring everybody back at corners. But Leigh is someone who has the best spring, and the tallest leap in a player that we have within Scotland. ‘I have likened some of his (headed) goals to Henrik Larsson and the way he could spring and jump inside the six-yard box with defenders around him. ‘So it’s a strange one. Leigh is someone who would enhance the Scottish national team. But Gordon has picked his team, and unfortunately we haven’t done too well in the last couple of games. ‘I would back Leigh to prove Gordon Strachan wrong. ‘It seems new managers don’t fancy him initially. It happened to him at Celtic under Ronny Deila, too. ‘He was brought in for the domestic games because Nadir Ciftci was suspended and took over and scored 40 goals last season. ‘I’m sure he will convince Gordon he is Scotland’s main striker. He just needs the opportunity. Hopefully it will be Leigh who gets the goal that sees us get a wee victory at Wembley.’ Asked if Griffiths (right) would have to accept being a substitute for Scotland, national boss Strachan had told a Sunday newspaper conference: ‘No, I wouldn’t say that.’ But he added: ‘In the 51 games during the European Championships, the first 19 goals were scored from set-plays. That means you have to have a certain amount of height on the field to defend corners. ‘The (Scotland) team was a lot smaller at 2-0 than it was at 0-0 (in Slovakia) and the first corner kick we get after that, they score with a header. ‘Does that help you with the certain amount of height that you have in my team? There’s absolutely no doubt about it. ‘People can argue the toss and

debate it. ‘But that is fact. You need to have a certain amount of height in international football teams to defend set-plays.’ Griffiths will man the bench tomorrow night with Moussa Dembele in possession of the starting jersey when Borussia Monchengladbach visit in the crunch Champions League Group C match. Boyd admits that is correct but feels for a player who had eight goals in eight games before an injury against Aberdeen in August gave Dembele his chance. ‘Dembele is brilliant — he’s keeping Scotland’s top striker out of the team. You feel sorry for Leigh but you can’t leave form strikers out and his time will come again for Celtic and Scotland.’ Scotland, meanwhile, were dealt a blow with Hull City left-back Andrew Robertson likely to miss the Wembley match after being ruled out for two months with a calf injury.

Tom Boyd was speaking to promote Celtic’s free family fanzone in George Square on Wednesday night ahead of the Champions League clash with Borussia Monchengladbach.