George Burley has taken a sledgehammer to the stereotype that historically surrounds the Scotland national team. The full extent of the Scotland coach�s adventurous nature is expected to be unveiled at Hampden Park this afternoon.

George Burley has taken a sledgehammer to the stereotype that historically surrounds the Scotland national team.

The full extent of the Scotland coach's adventurous nature is expected to be unveiled at Hampden Park this afternoon, when Norway arrive to douse the hopes of the Tartan Army and reignite their own flickering ambitions. The 4-5-1 system of self-preservation will not be observed on Burley's watch: physical intimidation has made way for technical ingenuity.

Indications last night were that Burley will field an expansive 4-3-2-1 / 4-3-3 formation, with James McFadden supported up front by Shaun Maloney and James Morrison, the West Bromwich Albion midfielder. Scott Brown, Darren Fletcher and Barry Robson will complete a midfield that is anything but defensive.

Burley was the calmest man in the room as he tip-toed his way around a line-up so defiantly hazardous it is impossible for even his most fervent critics not to admire his courage. There is, of course, a masochistic edge to it all: failure to beat Norway at home would represent a savage blow to Scotland's campaign and result in Burley's critics reaching for their knives again. "It's not about me, it's about Scotland," was his response to Gordon Smith's assurances on the manager's position. Burley has weightier issues to worry about.

Predictably, his old adversary from the Norfolk-Suffolk derby, Age Hareide, bounded into Glasgow this week extolling the virtues of this "strong", "powerful" and "passionate" bunch. He paid due homage to the Tartan Army's ability to create a colossal din and ticked the necessary boxes of respectful chatter.

Burley, as if his 4-3-3 formation away to Iceland was insufficient evidence, declared such talk as anachronistic. "That's just the old stereotype: Scotland being a big, physical team who play the long-ball game," he said. "When you look what I am trying to build here, we have players with ability and sharpness. We do not play back to front.

"I have said often enough that midfield is our strongest department. Why would I want to bypass that? It is not about a 4-5-1 or 4-3-3, what is more important is that people do their jobs when we are defending and when we are attacking."

Confounding a polite visitor is one thing, overhauling the fundamental philosophy of his predecessors is quite another. His explanation made compulsive viewing yesterday. Under Walter Smith and Alex McLeish, Scotland contented themselves with the notion that tactical pragmatism could offset the accepted technical deficiencies.

Burley gently but convincingly suggested there may be another way for Scotland to prosper and make the quantum leap from enduring challengers to World Cup qualifiers after a 10-year hiatus from the grand stage.

"You have got to see it the way you think works best," he said. "I am trying to get the best out of these players and I have seen the improvement. I am still learning about this squad of players. We have shown passion and commitment but we play attractive football, too. Our game is about playing football, passing and moving. It is exciting to watch and exciting to be involved in. I have people who want to be positive and move the ball forward, not to be negative."

Burley invited comparisons with Berti Vogts from ignorant detractors when he recruited Kris Commons, only for the Derby County winger to turn in a promising display in Reykjavik. Yesterday, he openly expressed his admiration for another of his new faces.

Morrison's credentials have been endorsed by no less credible a judge than Tony Mowbray. His talent is sufficient to earn him a starting place. He has only two previous caps, against Northern Ireland and Czech Republic, but Burley made a compelling case for his inclusion.

"James Morrison is maturing all the time," he said. "He is looking stronger and has been exceptional in training this week; maybe that is a result of playing in the Premier League. He has areas to work on in his game but he has the ability to do things other people cannot.

"He is a clever player who finds space and who can get in between the midfield and the back four. I have been very pleased with him. I saw him play against Arsenal and he did very well."

Maloney, embroiled in a thrilling battle for supremacy with Aiden McGeady at Celtic Park, is another who has become a cornerstone of the Group 9 campaign. His task will be to buzz menacingly around the strapping but clumsy centre-back, Brede Hangeland. His set-piece expertise might also a be a valuable weapon if, as expected, Hareide gambles on a goalkeeping predicament by handing Jon Knudsen his first cap, at 33, in preference to the leaky Rune Jarstein.

"Shaun did well when he came on in the second half against Macedonia and played well against Iceland," said Burley. "I want to be loyal to the guys who have played well for me. Shaun can play wide and get crosses into the box but he can also score goals and is a threat at set-pieces. That gives us a lot of options."

Burley's first competitive match at Hampden Park since succeeding McLeish was an instant sell-out. The Tartan Army have taken to him in a way the tabloid media have not. There is an affection and even protectiveness shown towards the occasionally blundering manager. He is genuine, without the PR polish, and as fallible as the rest of us.

For a man prone to lapse into interview default mode, promoting luck, rubs of the green and other such random happenings, Burley has a far more forensic approach on the training ground. "I gave up on superstition a long time ago," he said. "You cannot just believe things are mapped out.

"You have to believe in the boys and believe that what you are doing is right. We were unlucky in some aspects against Macedonia, decisions that went against us and mistakes we made.

"We were better against Iceland and we want to be better again on Saturday. Look at the last Euros: we did well and did the country proud but we didn't qualify. We need to try and go that step further."