Burley stands defiant and vindicated after making example of dropped duo

After dropping Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor, then beating Iceland, George Burley has won the battle. But will he win the war?

Given that all George Burley could have hoped for was vindication, this represented mission accomplished for the much-scrutinised Scotland manager. Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor remained onlookers from among the substitutes as Ross McCormack and Steven Fletcher kept Scotland's hitherto fading dreams of progression to next summer's World Cup alive. Failure to return three home points would not only have all-but ended those aspirations, it could have made the manager's position hovering above the category of untenable.

It now remains to be seen whether the fall-out from the late-night drinking session which reportedly stemmed into the following lunchtime ends at Burley dropping the Rangers duo to among the replacements. Arguably it was more of an insult, particularly to Ferguson, for Burley to name the captain as a substitute rather than jettison him from the squad altogether. Nonetheless, that the pair remained among Scotland's chosen 18 hints strongly they will not be punished further by the international manager. There is a strong argument, in fact, that Burley should have stuck by what is understood to have been his original decision; to banish Ferguson and McGregor from the Scotland party altogether after showdown talks on Sunday. Only sincere apologies from the pair seem to have dismissed that option.

Given that a close friend of the pair, Kris Boyd, has already said he will not represent the Scots while Burley remains in charge, this still appear an obvious case of a manager flexing his muscles. And, in doing so, making it at least partly plain his authority will not be questioned. Other players, including Scott Brown and Alan Hutton, had for a time joined in what started as a bonding session at the Cameron House Hotel upon return from Amsterdam in the formative hours of Sunday. Given that pair played against Iceland, their behaviour was either a great deal more reasonable than that of their team-mates, or Burley wanted to make a special example of two particular squad members. Privately, the Scotland coaching staff have been keen to avoid any clique mentality within their camp.

Burley, who has been unfairly castigated by sections of the Scottish media since the day of his appointment, has won the battle. If a place in the finals - which would be Scotland's first in 12 years - is guaranteed, there will be little argument about the war either. One must be careful not to turn what amounts to an unauthorised morning booze session into an issue of life and death, or a matter to become all morally indignant about. Ferguson and McGregor have not betrayed Scotland, they have not committed an act of treachery and they have fallen well short of disgracing the nation.

However, their actions were hardly helpful at a time when Burley was preparing for the most crucial match of his 15-month tenure. And these two players owe a particular debt of gratitude to the former Ipswich, Derby, Hearts and Southampton manager. Ferguson's club form has been less than impressive for so long now, the odd glimpse of magic apart, that there has been a legitimate call from some quarters for his place in the international team to come under review. Amid such rancour, Burley has been defiant, backing his "outstanding" captain and even displaying a rare glimpse of public anger last week when it was put to him Ferguson's touch is currently below par.

The manager had been positively bristling at the prospect of utilising his captain for the first time in a competitive encounter, an option he had not been afforded before Saturday's defeat in the Netherlands. Yet for this match, given Burley's clear willingness to revert to a 4-4-2 formation, there was a sensible case for deploying Darren Fletcher and Brown in central midfield for purely football reasons, regardless of what happened over the weekend.

McGregor had a reasonable claim to be included when Scotland visited Amsterdam but, given Craig Gordon's vastly superior experience in navy blue and that Burley is on record as saying the Sunderland man is the finest goalkeeper he has ever worked with, selecting McGregor still represented a bold move. Neither Ferguson nor McGregor excelled in the 3-0 reverse to Holland four days ago - far from it - with the latter enduring a particularly troubled evening.

Those within Hampden Park's corridors of power have hardly steadfastly supported Burley in the immediate aftermath of this debacle either. Gordon Smith, the chief executive of the Scottish Football Association, would only admit he is "going along" with Burley's decision "just now." Smith added that, although Burley had already supplied his reasons for dropping the wayward duo, a review of the situation will take place later this week. Not exactly unequivocal backing.

The Tartan Army have a clear idea who they favour, though. Ferguson's name was roundly booed when read over the Hampden tannoy before kick-off. That of McGregor was less so, although chants of "There's only one Craig Gordon" within 15 minutes represented more than a tacit dig at the Rangers No1.

So what happens next? Ferguson, ironically, used a tabloid interview last week to claim "I have been pulling knives out of my back for years". Surely double standards would apply if the 31-year-old follows the lead of Boyd and another Rangers midfielder, Lee McCulloch, by withdrawing his Scotland services and, in turn, increasing pressure on Burley.

The case of Ferguson and Paul Le Guen, who believed undermining from his captain played a significant part in his troubled time as the Ibrox club's manager, also cannot be ignored. McGregor is a separate case, although it would appear ridiculous if a 27-year-old announced he will not represent his country again while playing second fiddle to a man who cost £9m and has no such history of off-field shenanigans.

That prospect, though, cannot be discounted. Burley knew a Scotland victory here would maintain that public support and render his decision the right one; he owes a serious debt of gratitude to Steven Fletcher.

Taken from the Guardian/Observer