Brown lingers over selection dilemma

IT was being said quite without shame or proper consideration yesterday that victory over Austria at Celtic Park tonight would virtually guarantee Scotland a place in next year's World Cup finals. This is dangerous talk. Even a short study of the current placings in Group Four reveals that Craig Brown's side could yet be severely burned by the backdraft from last month's scoreless draw with Estonia in Monte Carlo.

Having dropped four points in the first half of the qualifying programme, a winning start to the second would still leave them vulnerable to a Swedish surge. Tommy Svensson's team having lost to Austria and Scotland, would finish ahead of both by winning their remaining six matches.

These include a visit to Austria, who themselves could lose tonight and still top the group by winning all of their last six games. The Swedes were palpably unlucky then losing to each of their most serious rivals and it would shock nobody were they to turn the form around against Scotland in Gothenburg on April 30th and in Vienna on September 6th.

These projections, of course, are laced with ifs and buts, but what seems as clear as glass is the need for Brown's team to secure three points tonight. There is, as always, concern about the source of the goal or goals required to achieve the objective.

Morale was lifted by the 2-0 victory over Estonia at Rugby Park last Saturday, but the goals came from two defenders, Tommy Boyd of Celtic and Estonia's Meet, who drove the ball into his own net. Brown will revert to his favoured 3-5-2 formation after playing an attack-conscious 2-6-2 against Estonia, justifiably anticipating more counter-thrust from an Austrian side who are quick on the break.

In the veteran Tony Polster of FC Cologne, they have a striker who is his country's record scorer, with 35 goals from 80 international appearances. He tends to be supplied by the wily Andreas Herzog of Werder Bremen, himself a 57-cap man.

With Monaco's John Collins free of the suspension which kept him out of the Estonia match Brown will surely restore his tried and trusted midfield, with the former Celtic player possibly accompanied by Gary McAllister and Paul McStay. He has to decide whether to reinstate Bolton's John McGinlay to the front line, where Darren Jackson and Kevin Gallacher showed up well against Estonia without threatening the opposition net.

If Jackson has not fully recovered from the shoulder injury sustained last weekend, Brown's decision will be made for him. There is a case to be made for McGinlay, who has four goals from 11 caps, including the crucial winner against Sweden at Ibrox last December.

Brown is, as always, confident about a defence who have not conceded a goal in the five qualifying matches so far