Boss Burley passes his first exam

BBC Radio Scotland reporter Phil Goodlad joined supporters at Hampden Park as new Scotland football boss George Burley faced his first test against Croatia.

"Hopeful. But not confident."

The question I was asking at a rain-soaked Hampden was whether George Burley would reign over a winning team.

"I've been a Scotland fan for too long now to be optimistic."

I imagine the majority of those 30,000 fans who ushered in a new era at the national stadium last night would agree with that.

After all, is that not what being a Scotland fan is all about - hope, belief, joy... then crash! It all falls down.

Strange atmosphere

It was a strange atmosphere at Hampden. Yes it was a friendly. Yes there were some big players out.

But Burley's first match in charge felt a bit like knowing a loved one was sitting an exam.

You really hope they do well but no matter how hard you try the thought of 'what if' keeps popping up.

What if Burley can't motivate the team? What if he makes a hash of the tactics? What if he loses? What if he gets gubbed?

You could sense nerves in the stands. You could almost grab them when the scoreboard read Scotland 0-1 Croatia after eight minutes.

If we were feeling them what was our new manager making of it? Thank goodness for Kenny Miller.

His equaliser on the half hour mark seemed to act as a release, a calming influence. A sign that everything was okay and that here at the helm was a man who knew what he was doing.

After the match the Tartan Army were satisfied. "Not bad against that lot." "As good as we could have been missing Faddy and Fergie." "We drew, England lost - great night!"

Everybody will take something away from Hampden. For George Burley it was pass marks.

But then, this was only a prelim. The real test begins with the World Cup qualifiers in September.

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