Craig Levein urges Scotland fans to go easy on Burley's rebels

Fabio Capello is not the only international manager seeking to protect players from a disgruntled public tonight. Ahead of his Scotland debut against the Czech Republic, Craig Levein has also issued an appeal for unity and understanding, insisting players adjudged to have undermined his predecessor, George Burley, are "brave" to stand before a Hampden Park jury once again. Levein is the man charged with restoring order to the chaos of Burley's brief reign and, given the failure to secure a play-off position for this summer's World Cup and its associated controversies, there is no surprise he has sought a slate clean. Moving Scotland's accommodation and implementing an alcohol ban are small but necessary steps for the pragmatic 45-year-old, but the decision to invite Barry Ferguson, Allan McGregor, Kris Boyd and Lee McCulloch back into the fold – having been sacked or withdrawn their services under Burley – has tested the Tartan Army's loyalty before the Levein era has launched. "There is goodwill now but if things go wrong there won't be. That's football," admitted the Scotland manager. "My first thought was, 'How to make this work?' And I thought we could do with them [McCulloch, Boyd, Ferguson and McGregor]. It is a football matter. I'd ask supporters not to boo but some will. Some will think that what they have done is worth booing. I don't. I hope after this game we can consign this issue to the past. They are all good players playing at a good level. We have a small pool of players capable of playing at international level as it is and if you take those four out of the squad you are losing an awful lot of experience." Of the forgiven four, in Levein's eyes at least, only Boyd will feature against Vladimir Smicer's team and then only among the substitutes. McCulloch has withdrawn from the squad with an ankle injury, McGregor has not been considered due to another alleged off-the-pitch incident and Ferguson, the former captain, has asked to be given until the end of this successful season with Birmingham City to decide his international future. Levein added: "The players have had to make decisions too, not just me. They are not stupid and it takes a brave man to come back for his country knowing he is going to get stick." James McFadden and Lee Wallace are injury doubts for tonight's friendly and with Scotland victorious in only three of their last 16 internationals, the former Dundee United and Leicester City manager accepts he has little room for experimentation. "I can't start talking about five-year plans," said Levein. "The immediacy of results is vital in this job and we must re-establish ourselves as a team that others don't want to play as quickly as possible. I would ask supporters to come along with a fresh mind. We all want the same thing and the common bond between the team and supporters is much stronger than people think. We need unity within the team too, but it call comes down to results and performances." Scotland (probable, 4-5-1): Gordon; Hutton, Webster, Caldwell, Wallace; Robson, Fletcher, Brown, Thomson, McFadden; Miller. Substitutes from Alexander, Marshall, Berra, Dixon, Kenneth, Whittaker, Adam, Dorrans, Hartley, Boyd, Iwelumo.