ON HIS arrival in Gothenburg yesterday for tomorrow's potentially decisive Group Four match, Craig Brown had to field more questions about the possibility of becoming manager of Celtic than he did over Scotland's prospects of coping with Sweden. Brown is widely regarded as having the right credentials for the Parkhead job, should the Celtic board decide that Tommy Burns, the current incumbent, be laid off.

There was never any likelihood of Brown nourishing the speculation, but he did admit that nobody's future in football, including his own, was as foreseeable as night following day. "This is mere speculation and if there were any truth in it, I would be flattered," said Brown. "But I'm very happy in the job I've got and I want to remain with Scotland at least through to next year's World Cup finals. My contract as team manager ends in July, 1998. There has been no contact between Celtic and me. Celtic wouldn't go about their business that way, in any case.

Tomorrow's match in the Ullevi Stadium will be enough of a preoccupation, as a powerful Sweden team seek to balance the 1-0 defeat they sustained at Ibrox last December. There was encouraging news for Brown yesterday when he learned that there is a serious doubt about Patrik Andersson, the Swedish central defender. The Scots themselves had no further injury problems, although the Celtic midfielder, Paul McStay, is still receiving treatment for the leg muscle injury which had made him doubtful for the trip.