Pressure building on Scots boss

Whether he would admit it or not, George Burley was under a degree of pressure ahead of Scotland's World Cup qualifying opener against Macedonia.

Two draws and a defeat in his opening three friendly matches as Scotland boss did little to excite the Tartan Army, whose expectations had been raised by predecessors Alex McLeish and Walter Smith.

And now that the Scots have opened their campaign with a defeat, Burley's honeymoon period is well and truly over after his first competitive game in charge.

The former Ipswich and Hearts boss tried to play down the importance of the clash in Skopje as just one of eight qualifiers for the 2010 finals in South Africa.

But there was an ominous feeling as Scotland conceded an early goal to Ilco Naumoski in the stifling Macedonian heat.

Suddenly nerves crept into the Scottish play with passing pedestrian and the home side enjoying ample possession in attacking areas.

There were more encouraging signs for Burley after the interval with Scott Brown and Shaun Maloney coming close to equalising.

But it was not long before Macedonia turned the screw and but for two excellent saves by Craig Gordon, the Scots' fate would have been sealed much sooner than the full-time whistle.

Scotland finished the game strongly but could not find the opening that would have secured a point, with James McFadden furious at the referee's decision not to award a penalty following a challenge by goalkeeper Petar Milosevski.

Burley's men now turn their attentions to Wednesday's clash with Iceland in Reykjavik and lessons must be learned from the Macedonian defeat if Scotland are to return home with something to show for their travels.

Brown was much more effective when deployed in a central midfield role, having played wide on the right in the first half in Skopje.

The more direct approach adopted after the interval must be Scotland's tactic from the beginning in the Icelandic capital as another slow start could once again prove costly.

The fruit of Scotland's labours under Smith and McLeish was built on a defensive strength which made the side difficult to beat, particularly away from home.

Burley's emphasis in club management has always been on possession and passing and while admirable, he may have to mimic the tactics of his predecessors in learning to win the physical battles and hitting on the break.

The Scotland manager's appraisal of the Macedonia match being only the beginning of a qualifying campaign was indeed correct but unless his side recover quickly from a maiden defeat, the legacy of Skopje may haunt Burley for many months to come.