Burley stays cool as call-offs turn up heat on Scots in Macedonia

GEORGE Burley maintained a composed front yesterday in the face of a growing number of call-offs from his Scotland squad to face Macedonia on Saturday – and a growing realisation that the conditions in Skopje will test his players to the limit of their endurance.

The Scotland manager called up the Hearts midfielder Michael Stewart yesterday after losing three more players from the squad for the World Cup qualifier against Macedonia and the one against Iceland which follows four days later.

Kevin McNaughton of Cardiff City, Callum Davidson of Preston, and the Rangers midfielder Kevin Thomson are the trio who withdrew because of injury, joining David Weir, David Marshall and Garry O'Connor on the sidelines.

With temperatures in Skopje forecast to be in the mid-30s Celsius – or close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit – Burley is aware that his side will need to be economical with their energy.

Many of his squad have little experience of playing in such conditions, and some are new to World Cup football, but the manager is confident they have been well briefed on how to play.

"You've got to conserve your energy, and you can't tear about for 90 minutes," Burley said yesterday. "But that doesn't stop (you] trying to get forward and scoring goals, or running back and making a tackle.

"It can be done. But there's got to be more thought behind it, and you can't keep it going for 90 minutes. It's up to us to acclimatise ourselves and play accordingly. We've got to have controlled aggression and be very disciplined in the way we play."

Asked if it was important to ensure that players had taken enough water on board on the day of the match, Burley explained that he believed hydration levels should be monitored constantly.

"I don't think it's hours before – it's days before. They're all getting tested now to make sure that they're fully hydrated. So that's going on – and speaking to them about the right food. There will be supplements to try and help them when they're over there.

"You get them tested – are you hydrated? Some players will be and some players won't.

"So the ones that are not, you're making sure that they're up. Maybe they're not aware that they're not hydrated.

"Once you're in temperatures like there are going to be in Macedonia, if you're not hydrated you're going to struggle. So we'll be fully aware that they're fully hydrated before the game starts.

"At club level I used to make sure players were tested once or twice a week for hydration levels. It ensures they have less injuries, and that they're going to perform to their full potential."

Scotland are 16th in the latest Fifa world rankings, just a place behind England. Scotland have remained stationary in the rankings since last month, while England are down one place. Macedonia are 56th.

Asked if he hoped a few good results would take his side above the English, Burley suggested that going up the rankings should be seen as a consequence of good results rather than an end in itself.

"I'm sure if you asked the punters do you want to get to the World Cup finals or be above England in the rankings they'd choose the World Cup finals," he said. "I hope."