Difference will be in direction steered as Strachan makes few changes to personnel in his first Scotland squad

Chief football writer

Friday 1 February 2013

EVEN though he was somewhere pretty unorthodox, Gordon Strachan was back on familiar ground.

Gordon Strachan: 'I'm going to try one or two wee things that might help us in the games coming up. If it works, we can add it to our armoury.' Picture: PA

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Michael Grant

Because the Scotland national teams are sponsored by Vauxhall, their dealership in Aberdeen was selected as the venue for the announcement yesterday of Strachan's first squad, for Wednesday's friendly against Estonia.

He duly chatted away to the media in one of the showrooms, with a couple of gleaming motors behind him as if he had been dropped on to the set of Top Gear. Strachan caused ripples of laughter by recalling how he had once owned an old Vauxhaull Viva that was so erratic it wouldn't go in the rain. He looked like exactly what he is: a manager invigorated by being back in charge of a football team.

When Strachan made his debut as a Scotland player away to Northern Ireland in 1980, the occasion was so overwhelming he forgot to leave complimentary tickets at Windsor Park's front door for his father, who had made the journey to watch him.At the age of 55, Strachan isn't likely to be similarly fazed by being in charge of his country for the first time next week but the 17 days since his appointment was confirmed have delivered a series of pleasant surprises."Since I got the job the number of best wishes messages I've had has been overwhelming," he said, "From everybody. I think there is a genuine feeling that everyone hopes we do well. Even in England, everyone I meet in London says 'good luck', although they say good luck and snigger at the same time, as if they're saying 'good luck but you know what's going to happen . . .'"The reaction has been heartwarming. I genuinely feel the whole of Scotland is at the stage where it's saying, 'whatever happens, let's get to one of these tournaments or play-offs'."The Scotland team is something everyone has an opinion on, no matter what club they support. No matter what team or squad I pick, or what decisions I make, I am not going to keep everybody happy."Happiness, except that provided by draining a few glasses, has been thin on the ground for Scotland supporters and the hope is that Strachan will deliver improved results and a more attractive style of play.The 28-man squad he named was indistinguishable from one Craig Levein might have picked. There was not a single uncapped player. Perhaps new life can be breathed into older names.Strachan lives in the English Midlands and for the last couple of seasons he has been consistently impressed by Birmingham City's Chris Burke. "He has something I think you need at this level. To be break down teams you need to have fantastic passers of the ball or you eliminate people. Chris can eliminate you by beating you."Strachan's words amounted to quite a tribute considering the former Rangers winger has not played for Scotland since earning his first two caps in 2006.Darren Fletcher and Craig Gordon remain unavailable and there could be no clamour for Barry Bannan or Craig Mackail-Smith to have been included given recent form. It was a predictable, deeply familiar group. Strachan will impose himself on the Scotland job through his formation and style of play rather than by making wholesale changes to the personnel."Does there have to be change?" he said. "Do we have to change formations? Everyone screams to get 'kids' in but if they're not good enough, they're not good enough. I'm not saying ours aren't good enough yet but they still have a bit to do before they get in the squad."There is one line Strachan has stuck to consistently since taking the job: he will pick a system which suits the players available to him. That sounds patently obvious, yet at Middlesbrough he tried to impose a formation on a squad unsuited to it.He paid for it with drab results, and with his job. With Scotland, Strachan will figure out how to maximise the contributions of key men such as Steven Fletcher, Scott Brown, hopefully Darren Fletcher again. Jordan Rhodes, who has scored 11 times for Blackburn Rovers since his double in Scotland's last match against Luxembourg in November, is likely to really come to prominence under Strachan."I've seen a lot of Jordan. I think if you can score goals, you can score goals," Strachan said. "If you get a formation you say, 'how do these guys like to play up front, what kind of football do they like,' and with Jordan it's 'get the ball in the box'. We need to pick a system that makes sure all our best players are playing, rather than picking a system and saying 'that's the system'. The best players might change from one game to another, but it's about getting them on the pitch."Strachan is sufficiently streetwise to sense that getting the best players on the pitch won't necessarily be easy on Wednesday. A February friendly against Estonia in Aberdeen isn't exactly one of the big attractions on the players' calendars. Call-offs are highly likely. "Whatever the team I thought I was going to try and pick, you know fine well that's not going to be the team," Strachan admitted. "But I'm going to try one or two wee things that might help us in the games coming up. We only have a small amount of time to work on things so we'll try them out and see how we get on. If it works, we can add it to our armoury."For ticket information, visit www.scottishfa.co.uk

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Difference will be in direction steered as Strachan makes few changes to personnel in his first Scotland squad

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