Seven months of toothy grins and tireless team shaping is over. George Burley's first competitive match as Scotland manager is now upon him. There was an air of impatience about the former Hearts head coach as he looked ahead to the challenges of Macedonia and then Iceland in the first of Scotland's qualification games for the 2010 World Cup.

The initial signs, on the basis of Scotland's three friendlies, are that Burley will usher in a more attack-minded approach than that of predecessors Alex McLeish and Walter Smith. But, while there is little doubt he is a firm advocate of playing football in the opposition's half, there is also a pragmatic streak in Burley. Yesterday, his reflections on Saturday's away opener with Macedonia were laced with caution.

Burley has prepared meticulously and knows that the standard of opponent and searing heat will not be conducive to a gung-ho approach. Macedonia are 38 places below Scotland in the FIFA rankings, but the national coach claimed the home side will start as favourites. "I think they are favourites but favourites on paper doesn't always mean everything," said Burley, speaking at a fans' forum hosted by team sponsors Nationwide. "We've got to go and give it our best shot. We've got to be solid, hard to beat and take it on from there.

"The heat is something we have to cope with. You've got to be sensible in the way you play, and try and conserve your energy. We are not going to play like we would do in a British climate. We played against the Czech Republic a 3-1 defeat in May, which was boiling. We've got to work as a unit and keep the ball and pass it. We have experienced players who I'm sure can adapt."

Macedonia have a decent pedigree and held England to a goalless draw in the Euro 2008 qualification campaign. Burley has been impressed by what he has seen of them.

"I've watched them against Croatia, Poland, England and Luxembourg and they're an excellent side," he said.

"They have a formation that suits them and they have stuck to over the past few years. I think they are capable of taking points off any team in the group. It's a tough game.

Collecting any points away from home would be a bonus for us, but I feel we are capable of taking points off any team in this group.

"They will play with three up front, try and take the game to us and put us under pressure.

The thought of trying to take the nation to a World Cup finals gives me a big thrill and I'll do everything I can to make that happen."

Burley was asked about Scott Brown yesterday, a player who has not found top form at Celtic since his £4.4m move last summer. Burley is a huge admirer of Brown and once claimed: "Scott's a player I think the world of and one I will be looking to build a side around through the years. People might say Scott Brown has maybe not done quite as well as he did at Hibs but from all I've seen I think he's an outstanding player with all the credentials to be one of the top players in Britain."

Burley took in Sunday's Old Firm game, in which Brown had a decent first half but faded in the second as Rangers asserted their dominance in the middle of the park. The Scotland manager looked slightly mystified when asked about the midfielder's form. Indeed, it could be argued that it was Burley who has coaxed the best performance out of Brown in recent times, in particular last month's friendly draw with Northern Ireland.

"I've seen Scott lots of times and feel he has unfair criticism,"

said Burley. "He's holding his place at Celtic and, sometimes people will look at games after defeats and say he is not performing. I was at the game yesterday and there was some excellent performances.

"Scott Brown is very much of my plans. Do you think Gordon Strachan thinks Scott Brown is playing well? Look at Barry Robson, who's a top-class player and the only reason he is not in the starting line-up is because Celtic have top-class alternatives. Brown certainly didn't let Celtic down in the Old Firm game."

Burley was heartened by the involvement of no fewer than 13 Scots in Sunday's derby match. "It was a terrific Old Firm game and the standard of football was excellent," he said. "There were a lot of Scottish players on show and that's great for our football. When you've got the top teams playing against each other and they're filled with our players, that's the most important thing. It was terrific to watch."