New Scots boss Burley proves he's no wally with a brolly

Where Steve Mc Claren famously hid from the Wembley drizzle on a night of uproarious entertainment for all Tartan Army footsoldiers, Burley was brave enough to take a full-on Glasgow soaking here. Why, he didn't even wear a tammy.

More importantly, he avoided the fate suffered by England's most recent ex-manager despite the loss of an embarrassing early goal.

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As a sign of things to come, a draw against a keen and committed Croatia - a result achieved despite the absence of three or four certain starters - is not too shabby.

The performance may not have been as exhilarating as some would have liked, partly because of the flatness of the occasion, but it was solid enough.

Give him a squad less afflicted by call- offs, a chance to utilise the genius of James McFadden and the control of Barry Ferguson, and we will surely see progress - hopefully, by the time we all troop off to Skopje and Rejkjavik for that opening World Cup double-header in September.

Get off to a good start there and no one will even remember Scotland last night failed to end one of the most infuriating winless streaks in world sport.

Astonishingly enough, our last friendly victory at Hampden had come almost exactly 12 years previously, on March 27, 1996, when Australia were seen off 1-0.

A certain Ally McCoist scored for a home side also featuring Paul McStay, Jim Leighton and Pat Nevin. Yes, it was a different age - a different stadium, too, with the old south stand yet to be replaced.

Since that triumph, nine nations had visited Hampden for what the SFA call 'international challenge matches'.

Eight had left with morale-boosting victories, with only the U.S.A. held to a draw back in November 2005. During that miserable run, Scotland scored just three goals and conceded 18. And you wonder why the very word 'friendly' causes some supporters to flinch?

The brave souls who turned out on a miserable spring night wouldn't be holding out great hopes, then, of seeing the non- competitive Hampden hoodoo lifted. Not after seven withdrawals, including captain, most-experienced player and top goalscorer.

Nor could the thousands who stayed away be blamed, despite this opportunity to mark the dawning of a new era. Just watch, though. If Burley's reign turns out to be one glittering with glory, a couple of million will eventually claim to have been here.

The new man has thrown himself into the job with the expected level of enthusiasm and, last night, he began by singing along heartily enough to Flower of Scotland.

Terry Butcher, diplomatically, kept schtum; better that than some John Redwood-style bluffing from the former England skipper.

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Those minor details still matter to some blinkered elements of the Tartan Army but the majority last night were only interested in a first glimpse of the Burley vision.

The opening images were not promising. Niko Kranjcar's goal after nine minutes? Well, Croatia have a knack for embarrassing goalkeepers, don't they?

Yet it was disappointing to see Scotland undone, in the quick build-up to the opener, by nothing more than a quick throw-in. We've seen that one before. A couple of minutes after that came a brief moment to illustrate the difference between the sides.

Robert Kovac, of Dortmund, calmly flicked the ball over the head of Hibs star Steven Fletcher and more or less strolled away from the international debutant. Never mind, son, your time will come.

Defending too deep and giving the ball away with alarming frequency, Scotland needed to find their feet quickly or risk being pummelled. They needed a leader.

Burley promptly took up a position on the touchline and began bellowing orders. Fletcher was ordered to push infield and forward from his baffling starting position on the left wing - and the entire XI were urged to believe.

There was a touch of luck about the equaliser but Scotland deserved as much for taking their new manager's message to heart.

Special credit must go to Kenny Miller for anticipating that Fletcher's ball down the inside-left channel would cause problems on the wet surface - and for having a shot from an improbable, but clearly not impossible, position.

Scotland seemed emboldened by the equaliser and there were more promising moments before half-time. All the while, Burley remained on duty at pitchside.

It didn't take long for him to take up the post again in the second half, the boss getting as swept up as any fan - and nearly leaping out of his skin when Miller had a header cleared off the line.

His substitutions were well thought out, changing the tone of the side as much as anything, and they largely worked. However, he did need Craig Gordon to pull off one outstanding save and Gary Caldwell to perform acrobatics to keep the visitors at bay.

Yet Scotland weren't without threat and there were two or three phases of play that were sparkling. When Alan Hutton went on another of his crazy-horse gallops and sub Kris Boyd stung the visiting keeper's fingers late on, Burley might even have dreamt of marking the occasion with a win.

Greedy? With more important tests to come, let's hope he is.