It is perhaps more a reflection of the prosperous era in which he operated rather than a judgement of his undoubted talent that Tommy Burns was only capped eight times for Scotland. As he prepares to earn his 40th international cap at the age of 24, Darren Fletcher acknowledges as much.

It is perhaps more a reflection of the prosperous era in which he operated rather than a judgement of his undoubted talent that Tommy Burns was only capped eight times for Scotland. As he prepares to earn his 40th international cap at the age of 24, Darren Fletcher acknowledges as much.

It was the much-maligned Berti Vogts who handed the Manchester United midfielder his international debut in August 2003 - also against Norway - but it is Burns whom Fletcher credits for his rapid assimilation to life as an international footballer. The former Celtic player and manager, who died in May, was Scotland assistant manager to Vogts and then Walter Smith and it is his words of encouragement to which Fletcher still clings as he prepares to captain Scotland in a vital World Cup qualifying tie against Norway this afternoon.

"He Burns was a massive influence as he was a great man and a great coach," he said. "He talked about his time and not getting too many caps for Scotland because of the quality of player he was up against. I'm sitting with 40 caps and a great player like Tommy Burns only managed eight so it is humbling in that respect.

"But I know Tommy was a great player and he is someone I've learned a lot from. I'm sure every player has taken something and remembered something from him that has made them a better player. He used to pull me aside and say that if you give the ball away, never hide. Go and get it back and show the courage to keep doing that. That's one thing I've always remembered."

Fletcher's dedication to attacking football, developed under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson, is being further honed by George Burley at international level. The midfielder's dislike of negative football means he would rather attempt a risky forward ball rather than play a sideways pass, even if it results in possession being turned over. He appreciates this adventurous approach may elicit groans from the crowd when it fails to pay off but has no plans to deviate from this mindset.

"If you give the ball away a couple of times at this level or at club level then the crowd do put a bit of pressure on you and you hear the moans or groans. But what do you do? Just pass the buck and pass the ball five yards? You're not going to help the team that way. I'm not going to start trying to make myself look good by passing the ball five yards.

"I have to take responsibility and sometimes that means giving the ball away. Sir Alex Ferguson always says that possession across the pitch going backwards and forwards is never going to hurt teams. Possession is trying to play through the midfield to your strikers and then it comes back out. That's good quality possession. It's not just rolling it across midfield or the back four as that's not hurting anybody."

Fletcher revealed there would be no rousing dressing room speech from him before kick off as he prepares to captain his country for the fourth time but he is confident he can inspire his team-mates in his own fashion. "It's my 40th cap and I'm captaining my country in a World Cup qualifier so it doesn't get much better than that. I have to thank the managers in the past who have picked me and Berti for giving me a chance at a young age and helping me gain the experience I've got now, which is invaluable. Maybe I was a little bit young or naive when I did it before but I was never shy or quiet back then either. So I haven't changed much in that respect. I speak quite a bit before the game. It's hard when you're 19 or 20 and you're trying to tell experienced players this or that but I've always been quite vocal in the dressing room. Nothing really changes in that regard."

Scotland enter their first competitive home match under Burley burdened by the weight of a nation's expectations. Having come so close to qualifying for Euro 2008 from a section that included France, Italy and Ukraine, the Tartan Army will today be expecting, rather than simply hoping, that Norway will be vanquished. "It's all very well being underdogs against France and Italy and maybe Ukraine but now there's that expectancy because we did so well and that's something new for the players.

"Sometimes it's easier being an underdog as you can sit behind the ball and soak up pressure. It's easier to sit in, be solid and hope to nick a goal on the counterattack or from a set-piece, whereas now we want to be more offensive. The expectancy is to take the game to teams and win. That's why we want to create this new style of more attacking, fluid football as the fans wouldn't accept us sitting behind the ball against Norway. All we're thinking about is winning. The players know we will be in a strong position it we are able to do that."