Team of the future takes pressure off Vogts

Amid the gloom that engulfed Scotland after the dishonourable draw in the Faroe Islands, the Scottish FA hierarchy lined up uneasily behind Berti Vogts. There comes a point, however, when embarrassing results drain the firmest resolve, and if the Scots had gone down in Iceland, defeat by Canada would almost certainly have made the German's position untenable.

To the credit of a young, makeshift side in what could have been treated as a meaningless friendly, Scotland performed in Tuesday's 3-1 victory in Edinburgh as if they actually were playing for the manager's job.

With the Euro 2004 campaign now on hold until March, the pressure is off Vogts as he looks forward to friendlies in Portugal next month and at home to the Republic of Ireland in February. He has also arranged B internationals against Germany, Turkey and the Czech Republic for what he calls "my future team".

Club managers will not thank Vogts for such a schedule, but his captain against Canada, Christian Dailly, argued that it can only help Scotland. "We're privileged to be playing for our country and we want to play as many games as we can," the West Ham defender said yesterday. "I played about 25 games in Scotland's Under-21s with roughly the same team and we were successful. It's the same at this level: the more we're together, the better we'll get."

Two wins against mediocre opposition do not mean a corner has been turned. They have, nevertheless, earned breathing space for Vogts and, at least in the second fixture, proved the national side can still play with pride and panache. The evidence of Iceland suggested, ironically, that all Vogts' experimentation during his opening run of five consecutive defeats had led him back to a 3-5-2 system uncannily similar to the one operated by Craig Brown. Forwards took defensive duties as seriously; midfield "sat in" rather than pushing on; and the "wing" part of the wing-backs' role was a little-used optional extra.

Easter Road demonstrated an alternative future, epitomised by the front two of Stevie Crawford and Steven Thompson. They combined mobility and selflessness with impressive finishing and signs of a genuine partnership. Crawford scored twice; Thompson, a raw and robust centre-forward with Dundee United, claimed the other goal.

In a midfield bereft of Paul Lambert, Barry Ferguson and Jackie McNamara, last Saturday's entire central unit, there was a confident debut from Birmingham's Paul Devlin. The Brummie son of a Glaswegian Celtic fan, Devlin first attracted attention with Rangers – the Stafford variety – and it has been a long haul through the lower divisions to international football at 30. He was most influential when Vogts moved him wide in the second half, peppering Canada's area with crosses.

Paul Gallacher, Thompson's club colleague, cut a calm figure in goal on only his second appearance, though he may have had more to do than Vogts would ideally have liked. That was in part because, on a night for qualified optimism, perhaps the only players not to enhance their reputations were Dundee's Lee Wilkie and Hearts' Steven Pressley. Both defenders have qualities that endear them to the Braveheart tendency among Scotland's support. Yet a willingness to "get intae them" could not dispel the impression that they may be too ponderous to risk against Germany when Group Five resumes in earnest.