SCOTT BROWN and commitment go together like the Scotland national team and failure.

If there has been anything in life that this force of nature has not approached with everything he has then it’s been a one-off incident long forgotten about.

So if Brown, now 30 and with a history of injury problems, did decide that at 49 caps, several failed campaigns and not a single successful one, then few could blame him or question the man's commitment. It would also be a decision not taken lightly.

Oh sure, there will always be some who believe all players no matter what should report dutifully for every international match and failure to do so is akin to treason. These people are wrong, certainly in the case of Brown if he indeed has had enough.

The midfielder splits opinion among Scotland supporters. Yet, there have been few more consistent performers in the dark blue in recent times. But if does want to play at Celtic for another five years and win ten league titles in a row, which he did sort of say in the summer with a glint in his eye, then something has to give.

Brown could either decide to change his game, buzzing about park trying to be everything to his team to a more considered defensive midfielder. That’s never going to happen.

Or he could sit out some Celtic games where his presence might not be missed. Take it from me, as long as he can walk then he plays in that team while Ronny Deila is his manager.

So then it’s Scotland that could go.

Even the most patriotic footballer complains about the travelling, lack of rest days and being forced to play on far from perfect pitches. This is all okay if you are 23, not a grizzled pro in his thirties who has made close to 550 appearances for clubs and country, and whose hamstring is always capable of giving him problems.

After the draw with Poland, Brown was asked quite directly about whether he would be about at least for the World Cup campaign.

“It's hard on everyone's body,” he said. “There are a lot of games and not a lot of holidays for us. We'll see where that goes when it comes around.”

Contrast with Shaun Maloney, who is two-and-a-half years older than Brown. When asked if he had the appetite for another campaign with Scotland, Maloney said: “Personally, yes I do.

“I absolutely love playing for Scotland. It’s a privilege. It’s what gets you up in the morning so I’m very proud to play. But I think it’ll be the manager of the national side who will decide when I don’t play. Not me.”

Craig Brown, the former Scotland manager, is unsurprisingly of the opinion that you play for Scotland until your legs or manager tells say otherwise. What else would you expect from someone so closely associated with the national team?

Although Brown could understand why someone such as the Celtic captain was at the very least considering stepping away from Scotland.

When it was suggested that he would be someone to take a dim view of a player walking away from Scotland, Brown said: “That is the way I feel. But then I’m not getting my legs battered or my family wondering where he is because he’s always away.

“It’s easy for me to sit here and say ‘Scott Brown shouldn’t do this, he should so that’ but you are in now in his domestic or indeed professional situation. I don’t know what his legs are like. He might end up like me – a cripple. He’s a Brown!

“I would not condemn him for it because Jim Leighton and Paul Lambert did it, politely, courteously and with no hassle. They said they would not continue.

“The players who have retired from international football before have done it to prolong their club career. The only breaks they got, and this is particularly true of someone like Scott, would be the international breaks.

“I must admit that my thoughts are how could you turn down playing for your national team. Now I was someone who wasn’t good enough to get that chance, so therefore I am maybe not the right guy to ask. But I just feel that way.

“Lambert did it to Berti Vogts. Leighton also retired on 91 caps with 45 clean sheets. I was sure he would get 100. So it’s not something new and if there are two guys I respect in the game is Lambert and Leighton.

"I don’t know Scott Brown because I never worked with him. I have watched him playing and I’d like him in my team because he gives you a shift. But I do know the other two guys and you couldn’t find two more decent guys. Yet they made that decision, for different reasons, to retire from international football.”

It would be different if Scotland were actually qualifying for major tournaments.

Walking away from appearing in the finals of the European Championships and World Cups is difficult. Doing so when you think the next campaign is going to end in disappointed is far easier.

Brown, the elder one, said: “I don’t think that would be issue for Scott. I genuinely don’t. It would be about him wanting to prolong his career at club level and get a wee break now and again.

"It is an arduous shift, especially if you are at a club such as Celtic.”

It does seem Brown will go down with Craig Gordon, Barry Ferguson, Darren Fletcher, James McFadden and Kenny Miller to name a few as players who are did their best for Scotland, on occasions were terrific, and yet did not really get close to a major finals.

Even finishing second in the World Cup qualifying group which begins next year - England you would imagine will win it - is no guarantee of a play-off place.

That’s a lot of games, travelling and time away from home just to suffer more heartache.

Scott Brown has an awful lot to think about. However, if he does retire from international football then he should go with our best wishes