Craig Gordon: Looking after number one

THERE WERE always going to be points for Craig Gordon to prove. Costing nigh on £9m, the trip from Hearts to accepted English Premier League player was always going to be a journey of justification, especially when it came to the 99 per cent of football people he claims remain clueless about football north of the Border.

In his first season, however, he has endured the ups and downs to help Sunderland buck the trend of clubs yo-yoing between the Championship and top tier and one week into the close season is already looking forward to the new term. He hopes he is also moving closer to nailing the lazy stereotype, which sees punters south of the border happy to cast all Scottish goalkeepers in the role of calamity caricatures.

"Have people asked me about that?" he asks almost incredulously. "Everybody still does! I have actually asked them several times to explain it, tell me where the idea comes from and none of them seem to know, they just keep repeating it.

"I personally don't get it because I have not grown up with that. We have had some great Scottish goalkeepers. Jim Leighton, Andy Goram, guys who have countless caps and have been to World Cups and have played at the highest level, played for Man United and won so much. So I ask them, 'what are you talking about that sort of thing?' I've still to get a proper explanation. Whatever it is, things have now moved on and I think it's time they did too. Now I just tell them that."

It's ironic that even at a time when Scotland have two quality keepers vying for the international shirt and England are struggling to find one reliable custodian of their goal that the perceptions persist. But having spent the season down south, Gordon is only too well aware of the level of self-absorbtion. Typically for the quiet man, there's no raging against it, he doesn't really care what the majority think, it's the powerful minority – the likes of club boss Roy Keane and international manager George Burley – he seeks to impress.

A passionate man, as a player and now as a manager, Keane is renowned for wearing his heart on his sleeve. He never shirked from much on the park and off it he is just as dominant. Gordon laughs when asked if the boss is actually more cerebral than the Mr Angry persona he portrays in public.

"No, I wouldn't say he was calm and considered. He's not very calm at all. But maybe quite rightly so. If somebody hasn't performed to the standards that he knows they can then he soon lets them know about it. I think that's what most people would expect from Roy Keane. He wears his heart on his sleeve and is a winner and he wants everybody else at the club to be the same. That's how he comes across and he lets the players know that it is up to us to match that."

Gordon may not share his manager's penchant for ranting but he is in sync with the winning demands. Ambitious, he admits that he has a blinkered approach to success. Dropped as the goals against tally rose at an alarming rate in the early part of the season – the 7-1 defeat at Goodison Park in November proving the catalyst to a three-match stint on the bench – the Scotland keeper never lost faith in himself.

Described by Keane as "the most normal goalkeeper I've ever known", he certainly lacks the combustible temperament and unpredictable quirkiness of Keane's former Manchester United team-mates Peter Schmeichel and Fabien Barthez. Instead he endeavours to take everything in his lengthy stride.

"I obviously didn't enjoy being dropped or losing all those goals but I knew it wasn't entirely down to the defence or one person's fault. I knew I was still playing well. The manager made some changes after that game and I was one of the casualties but that happens and I knew I would bounce back.

"Maybe the manager was looking at that as a bit of a test of my character, I think sometimes managers do drop players to see how they will react. There was only one way I knew how to handle that and that was to do what I did, which was work at getting back in the team. I just concentrated on that and wasn't even thinking of anyone other than myself and that's possibly a bit selfish but I wanted back in the team."

Taking a step back was a new phenomenon for a guy who has enjoyed a career in constant ascent since breaking into the Hearts team. Young Player of the Year awards morphed into Player of the Year plaudits, the domestic form earning national caps.

"No, I'd never really experienced that before but there was no point in reacting badly, quite the opposite. I wanted to show him what I could do. There was never any time I doubted myself or my ability to perform on this stage week in week out. I was determined to come back.

"I always believed that I could get back into the team and the latter part of the season, probably since January has been good for me. I have been performing at a consistent level and next season I will be even better for the experiences I have had this season. It has been a quick learning curve for me but it will benefit me next year."

A personal analysis, but one which could as easily be attributed to the team as a whole. He wasn't the only newcomer to a league he says is arguably the best in the world, given its domination of the Champions League semi-finals and final and the paucity of top flight nous made the campaign an education for all involved.

"We struggled at the start to find our feet, never mind our form in the league, but a lot of the players hadn't experienced the Premier before. A lot had come up from the Championship or down from Scotland and we didn't have an awful lot of experience of what the Premier League is all about, but as the season went on I think we got a bit more streetwise."

Having spent £50m to bankroll survival at the top level, Keane is hoping a further £40m will allow him to add that extra experience and guide the side up the league table. A screed of squad members have been told they can go. Gordon is not one of them, but he says, at this level, there is no resting on laurels.

"Everyone down here is so fit that you have to stay mentally strong. That mental strength is what gives you the little bit extra over your rivals. For me the crowds and the pressure is all part of that. It is great motivation, you know you can't switch off when a minimum of 20,000 making a noise inside the grounds every week. It's not like going to Inverness or playing Gretna.

"The pressure has definitely been on and it's something we have had to handle. There was definitely relief at having secured our Premier League status for another year. That was the main objective and we achieved that and for everything that went right and wrong during the season we stayed up so we have something to build on."

The tricky start meant that safety was not assured until the third last match, when victory over Middlesbrough took them far enough away from the relegation zone. It was one of the highlights in a season, which despite the difficulties, proved memorable for Gordon. "From the very first game, a 1-0 win against, I walked out and thought 'yeah, this is it, it's the Premier League'. Whether it's going to Old Trafford or finally getting an away win, against Aston Villa, it's been great."

But he is still trying to comprehend just how big the English top flight is around the world. "Obviously, when Match of the Day is on I get texts from people up in Scotland who were watching it, but it's when you get letters from the likes of China that you start to appreciate just how much of a global brand the Premier League is."

And starring on such a stage will do no harm when it comes to fending off Allan McGregor's bid to become Scotland's No.1. With the Rangers keeper out injured, Gordon will be unchallenged for the starting berth against the Czech Republic at the end of the month, but he knows he cannot afford to slack off. The pair have come through the ranks together and known each other for years but while Gordon recognises McGregor's ability, he says he has one thing over his rival – the knowledge garnered from almost 30 caps.

"I'm experienced at international level. When I first came in some people argued I didn't have that but I was confident I could handle it and didn't see that it mattered but now that has flipped around and whereas beforehand I didn't see the importance, I now see that it helps. I know that the experience I have gained is important."

A rival for his jersey will help keep him on his toes. It may eventually also help him convince the less-educated that the goalkeeping position is not a national weakness.

GORDON'S FIRST SEASON

£9m MAN

Craig Gordon became Britain's most expensive goalkeeper and Scotland's costliest export when he left Hearts to sign for Sunderland for a deal worth up to £9m.

FLYING START

The Scotland No.1 made a dream debut in the Premiership when he helped his newly promoted team to a winning start with a 1-0 win over Tottenham at the Stadium of Light.

BOUNCING BACK

Sticky times followed and manager Roy Keane dropped Gordon following Sunderland's 7-1 defeat by Everton at Goodison in November. He was restored to the team three games later and kept his place for the remainder of the season, helping Sunderland secure top-flight survival with a win over Middlesbrough.