GORDON WILL KEEP THE FAITH DESPITE A BARRAGE OF FRIENDLY FIRE
But Gordon will keep the faith despite being thrown in against world’s best
THE return of Allan McGregor to Rangers this season was always likely to make for a stern test of Alex McLeish’s diplomatic skills.
Previously domiciled in Hull, frankly, the goalkeeper’s place in the pecking order of the national team was never going to be a source of impassioned debate. It’s a simple fact of life, though, that his return to Ibrox in direct opposition to Craig Gordon immediately magnified the issue.
Forced to choose between two custodians of virtually identical ability, the Scotland boss opted to tick box C.
Reprising Ron Greenwood’s solution to the Ray Clemence/ Peter Shilton quandary of yesteryear, McLeish selected McGregor for the past two competitive matches and Gordon in the friendlies.
In football management, being all things to all men is a strategy that’s fraught with peril. In attempting to keep everyone happy, you invariably run the risk of pleasing no one.
The recipient of his 54th cap against Portugal on Sunday, Gordon, a man who lost a large part of his career to injury, is not likely to throw the toys out of the pram. Which is not to say that he views an intriguing situation as a glass half full. Friendlies or not, it has not escaped the Celtic man’s notice that the calibre of opponent he has faced has been distinctly tougher than that of his glove rival. And in fairness, what keeper wouldn’t rather eyeball Albania’s Ledian Memushaj as opposed to Belgium’s Eden Hazard or Portugal’s Bruma? Having picked the ball out of his net seven times over the course of his past two matches on international duty, it’s not just Gordon’s pride that’s hurting. There is distinct disquiet about being exposed to such a firing line. ‘Yes — that hasn’t been lost on me,’ he said when asked if he felt he had been hung out to dry. ‘But that’s the situation and those are the games I’ve been asked to play in. ‘We lost seven goals in those matches but, when you play against the best teams in the world, there’s every chance that will happen. ‘I thought we restricted Portugal to relatively few chances but when the chances that come their way are as good as those ones were, then you know that they’re going to take them.’
In the interest of accuracy, McLeish has never explicitly stated that McGregor is now his No 1. Given both his selection and performance in the shellacking in Haifa last week, though, there’s an expectation that he will retain his manager’s faith in Albania on November 17.
Gordon will need no one to spell out this likely scenario to him. But, for the time being at least, will stop short of seeking answers from the man who makes the big calls.
Asked if he’d spoken to McLeish, he replied: ‘No. I want to play in every game but he has his job to do. He’s going to pick the team and I’ll play whenever I’m asked to — and support whoever else is playing when I’m not.’
Were Gordon of a mind to make his case, he could justifiably claim that he was blameless for each of the three goals conceded on Sunday.
Looking more at ease with the 4-4-1-1 formation, the Scots contained the European champions well until slackness on the right punctured their confidence when Helder Costa scored just before half-time.
The manner in which two further goals were lost in the final 16 minutes added to the sense of angst. Eder’s free header from a set-piece and Bruma’s strike oozed quality yet were met with little resistance from an increasingly ragged Scotland backline.
‘We’re obviously unhappy at the way we lost the goals,’ the keeper reflected.
‘Other teams aren’t having to work hard for them but at least we didn’t give the opposition as many opportunities as we did in the previous game.
‘However, when you give them up right in the middle of your goal, you’re going to be in trouble.
‘Their second goal came from a free-kick routine, which we knew they’d practised, and we knew exactly what we had to do to defend it. We just didn’t carry it out properly.
‘I was disappointed to lose three goals because I didn’t think we played too badly.’
Unlike in Israel, McLeish could justifiably identify some positives. Having reverted to a flat back four, his players looked more comfortable in their own skins. For all much was made of the fact that Portugal were well below strength, Scotland were, too.
‘We were comfortable on the ball and we kept possession quite well,