New era begins with same old problems but Burley says he'll take it in his stride

Manager sure makeshift Scotland side will rise to the occasion

IF GEORGE Burley feels an element of going on trial when Scotland play Croatia tonight, his slight anxiety will surely be deepened by the absence of a number of key witnesses.

The newly-appointed national team manager admitted yesterday that his ideal starting XI, formulated as long as two weeks ago, had been sabotaged by injury-enforced withdrawals. The captain, Rangers midfielder Barry Ferguson, and the Birmingham City forward, James McFadden, would certainly have been first choices, while it was very likely that the Rangers goalkeeper, Allan McGregor, would have appeared at some stage of the friendly.

The defections of Ferguson, his clubmate Lee McCulloch, Celtic's Barry Robson and Derby County's Stephen Pearson had left Burley with only four midfield players, forcing him to send for Gavin Rae, the former Dundee and Rangers player now at work with Cardiff City in the Championship in England.

It is hardly an encouraging prelude to the manager's first outing as successor to Alex McLeish, facing opponents widely regarded as one of the most formidable teams in Europe. Pre-match frustration, however, is as central to the job as collecting a salary, and Burley seemed prepared for the disappointment.

His burden would be lightened by the news that the Manchester United midfielder, Darren Fletcher, would be available for selection. Fletcher had been doubtful because of a viral infection that had delayed his joining the squad until yesterday morning. His arrival, along with Rae, was described by Burley's assistant, Terry Butcher, as "the cavalry riding to the rescue".

"Of course, the team I originally had in mind has been disrupted," said Burley. "James McFadden, for one, would have been in, along with Barry Ferguson. But call-offs are inevitable in international football and I was aware of that before I took the job.

"All it means is that other players have a chance to impress. And I still think we're very strong in midfield, with players like Paul Hartley, Scott Brown and Darren Fletcher in there. I think Darren is a terrific player, exceptional ability, great spirit and commitment. I know Sir Alex Ferguson thinks the world of him and I'm sure if he were with any other club in the Premier League he would be an automatic first pick. There are so many great players and so much competition for places at Old Trafford that he is only a semi-regular.

"We saw a typical example of his attitude to playing for Scotland this morning. When he arrived, the first question he asked was, 'Has the boss picked the team yet?' He thought I might have already done it yesterday (Monday) and that he would be left out. Not a chance. He is a great asset to us.

"Against a team like Croatia, who probably have more gifted individual players than us, that kind of spirit and commitment will be necessary. It will be like that in other matches, too, as we try to qualify for the World Cup. I won't allow any drop in the level of commitment, but it's extremely unlikely to happen, because this squad's great strength, as they showed in the Euro 2008 qualifying, is their togetherness, the way they play for each other as a team".

Even with Fletcher at his disposal, however, Burley's resources are clearly depleted and whatever line-up he settled on seems very likely to have an experimental, or even makeshift, appearance.

Gary Teale, for example, is the only naturally wide player left in the squad, and he has rarely impressed in a dark blue shirt. Presently on loan to Plymouth from Derby, Teale's inclusion would hint at risk-taking on Burley's part.

His omission would leave the manager with a self-selecting midfield of Fletcher, Hartley, Brown and Rae, unless he takes the other unlikely step of playing a defender like Gary Caldwell in a holding role. It seems more likely that he will go for a 4-4-2, with Kenny Miller – over whom he enthused yesterday – in attack, possibly partnered by debutant Steven Fletcher of Hibernian.

Of the two novices in the squad – Hearts defender Christophe Berra is the other – Fletcher would appear the likelier to start the match. Berra will surely be seen at some stage, but may have to start on the bench, as Gary Caldwell forms his club partnership at Celtic with Stephen McManus, who will captain the team in the absence of Ferguson.

"I've been a club manager with six or seven players out injured," said Burley, "and the matches come thick and fast, and no friendlies among them, just crucial points to be won. So having to juggle things is nothing new to me. This gives us an opportunity to see how players handle the situation. There aren't that many chances to play matches in international football, so the three we have between now and the start of the World Cup qualifying in September are important.

"Of course, you want to win any game you play, but, for me, performance is more important than result at this stage. The point is, results tend to come from good performances, so if you get the first part right, there's a good chance the second part will follow."