SCOTT Brown is determined to repay the unrelenting faith George Burley has shown in him by playing a pivotal role in helping the Scotland manager take his squad to the 2010 World Cup finals.
Whenever the Celtic midfielder's form has been questioned in recent months, he has found the staunchest of supporters in Burley, who has made it plain he considers the 23-year-old to be one of his most valued players.
Brown has started every inte
rnational for which he has been available since Burley's appointment, only missing the friendly in the Czech Republic at the end of last season due to the tragic and untimely death of his sister from cancer.
It was no surprise, therefore, to find Brown this week still bristling at the criticism which came Burley's way last month following the 1-0 defeat to Macedonia in Scotland's opening game of their World Cup qualifying campaign.
Swift redemption followed with the 2-1 victory over Iceland in Reykjavik and Brown, who will win his 13th cap in tomorrow's crucial Group 9 showdown with Norway at Hampden, took great satisfaction in helping achieve such an important three points for Burley.
"We wanted to go out and prove a lot of people wrong in that game," said the former Hibs midfielder. "The criticism after Macedonia was unjust, the lads were disappointed by that.
"Yes, we lost the game, but we were unlucky not to take something from the game and it was a joke for people to be saying we should be axing George Burley after just one qualifier.
"He is a good manager and a good coach and he tells everyone clearly what he wants done.
"He allows us to do that to our best abilities and he always gives you 100 per cent backing. You get the feeling he has full confidence in all the players."
Brown was only 12 when Scotland last played in a major tournament finals and revealed Burley has provided the current squad with a reminder of what has been missed since that 1998 World Cup in France.
"He has been showing us DVDs from the tournament and it looks brilliant," said Brown. "I remember people in my street with flags and scarves hanging out of their windows at the time.
"I watched every game on TV and it was a good excuse not to go to school. It's a fantastic experience for the whole country and I'm desperate for us to make it this time round.
|I've played in the Champions League with Celtic, but the World Cup is still the pinnacle for most players."
Brown believes the manner in which Scotland missed out on a place in this year's European Championship finals, with agonising defeats away to Georgia and at home to Italy, will be the greatest source of motivation in their quest to make it to South Africa in two years' time.
"We don't want to go through that again, it was such a huge disappointment," he added.
"All of the lads felt devastated with the way the campaign ended and I think that makes you stronger as players.
"It makes you willing to go that extra yard, win that extra tackle, block that shot or score that goal to get the result we need.
"I feel we are much closer as a squad now because of the last campaign.
"Everyone gets on well and there's a nice bond between the lads. Everyone talks to each other, no-one would walk past you in a corridor and blank you.
"Every single player would love to get to a World Cup, we know it's been too long since Scotland were there."
Victory over the Norwegians tomorrow would strengthen Scotland's hopes of at least finishing second in Group 9 and securing one of the eight play-off spots, but Brown is not ready yet to write off the possibility of upsetting the odds and winning the section ahead of favourites the Netherlands.
"Being honest, the Dutch squad is class apart from ours," he said. "Some of their players are frightening and we saw how good they can be during Euro 2008.
"But we just have to wait and see how we get on against them because it is all going to come down to heart and who really wants it most on the days that we play."
The full article contains 738 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
