Summary
GAMBLES have tended to backfire horribly for George Burley as Scotland manager. Not yesterday, though. Only the country's second clean sheet of this World Cup qualifying campaign represented vindication for his nothing-else-for-it decision to supply Stephen McManus with a first competitive 90 minutes since April. And the Celtic centre-back would have been as relieved by that outcome as Burley.
The two men merit the beleaguered description but both could feel a little less so by the end of the 2-0 victory over Macedonia. Football has not been kind to McManus since he limped off after 50 minutes at Pittodrie on May 2. Then he was captain of club and country, a favoured performer for Celtic manager Gordon Strachan as well as Burley. Now, with Tony Mowbray in charge at his club, his status is altogether more uncertain. He would have been an Ipswich Town loan player by now had he agreed to a move arranged without his approval.See the full content of this document
Extract
Mcmanus Gamble Pays Off
Weeks of frustration and worry for McManus probably evaporated in the instant he found the dangerous Aco Stojkov careering towards him two minutes after Scotland had sna...
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