Burley refusing to contemplate striker problems

Published on Saturday 10 May 2008 19:20

SCOTLAND manager George Burley refuses to consider problems could lie in store if events today leave him without a senior striker playing regular top-flight football.

If Birmingham lose at home to Blackburn Rovers this afternoon they will be relegated from the Premiership. Even if they do pick up three points, Alex McLeish's side require both Reading and Fulham to fail to do likewise away to Derby and Portsmouth respectively to prevent their Scotland forwards James McFadden (below) and Garry O'Connor joining Derby's Kenny Miller in the Championship.

With Kris Boyd enjoying little game-time for Rangers and the story similar for O'Connor at Birmgham and Shaun Maloney at Aston Villa, ahead of Scotland's friendly away to the Czech Republic on May 30 Burley may find his principal goal sources hail from the Championship, are not first picks, or both.

"I watched Birmingham last week and they have top-class players," Burley said. "It is about the quality of the player, not what team they are playing for. The most important thing is that Kenny Miller and James McFadden have shown at international level they can compete with the best in Europe. I have no fears about them.

"You want your players playing in the highest league in Europe and at the top of their game regularly, but that doesn't always happen. As a Scotland manager I have to look to pick my best players. That's the bottom line."