Pessimism is the national coping mechanism.

The stalemate against Serbia last Saturday emphasised flaws in Scotland's approach and display, and the mood afterwards was immediately desolate. Scots often act as though hopefulness ought to be discouraged, and the cynicism has become ingrained during the 14 years since the international side last qualified for the finals of a major tournament. There was some merit, then, in Craig Levein seeking to establish a sense of promise when he became manager, but that anticipation had to be sustained.

Levein and his players talk about progress, but the starting point was the final turmoil of George Burley's hapless spell in charge. Merely imposing some order and purpose represented a significant improvement. There might be an intention to perform with a certain accomplishment, and there are players capable of creativity and decisiveness in the final third, but those qualities have not effectively carried onto the field.

In a dauntingly competitive group, gathering points at Hampden will be crucial. Already, Scotland are bereft. It is a setback for the team, but more critically for the manager. Levein had talked so convincingly about his midfield and attacking resources that the drabness of much of last Saturday's display seemed an indictment of his judgement. There is no further credit to be gained in saying that improvements have been made when disappointing results are being logged. No fan wants to be consoled that there will eventually be something to celebrate.

"We believe in what [Levein] has done," said Kenny Miller. "I know we keep saying it, but we do believe we are making progress. I've watched the [Serbia] game back and I feel that we are getting better. But what we also understand is that we need to show it. We have to start turning this progression we keep talking about into results."

The resolve is welcome, and Miller's perseverance has underpinned his career. Having misjudged the flight of James Morrison's cross and missed a decent half-chance, the striker then heard the Scotland fans chant the name of Jordan Rhodes. The inference was clear that they also wanted Miller replaced. Much of his national service has been under-appreciated, because strikers are still primarily judged by their scoring rate and Miller is a forager. He is most prolific in exerting himself.

His attributes are suited to the lone striker role that Levein deploys, but frustration is inevitable when Miller periodically scuffs a chance. Rhodes has been prolific at club level, even if it has mostly been spent in League One with Huddersfield Town before his summer move to Blackburn Rovers.

Miller acknowledges that this is likely to be his last qualifying campaign, although he will never retire from international football. He would be entitled to feel peeved that supporters were so quick to disregard his service in favour of an untested talent, but that is the way of the game. Football is most adept at self-renewal. The obligation against Macedonia tonight is to restore the appreciation and fortunes of the team with a victory, and Miller will not fret about the extent of his own contribution.

"It's the nature of the beast. Jordan's the kiddie at the moment," Miller said. "They're excited to see him here. We're excited to see him here. He's a young lad who we don't want to put too much pressure on, but we're delighted to have someone who finds goals so easy to come by in the squad. Obviously, at the stage where we're needing a goal that fans are going to want to see him. I'll be more than happy to be playing, for a start. If anyone else scores the winning goal, great."

Miller might feel as though he is being damned for his commitment. At 32, he has moved to the MLS with Vancouver Whitecaps, but rejects the notion of this being the first step of his retirement plan. It is, though, an inferior competition to the Barclays Premier League or the Championship, and Miller sought reassurance from Levein that his international career would not be affected.

Yet the narrative around the Scotland squad is constantly about the rise of Rhodes and the absence of Steven Fletcher, even if the Sunderland striker was pictured drinking on holiday last week. "The situation has to go away, until Steven says he wants to play," Miller said. "I get asked this every single time and the answer is always the same: he doesn't want to play. Bringing it up every five minutes is not going to make any difference. If he wanted to pick the phone up, then he would be welcome back. But you don't want to force somebody to do something they don't want to. We've got a good group of players now and we don't want anything to ruin that."

Miller will not be swayed by the public mood. He anticipates the same from his manager. Levein is likely to start the striker tonight, but perhaps be more inclined to replace him earlier than he did last Saturday if Scotland are still searching for goals. The tendency is to emphasise the capabilities of this Macedonia team, but the obligation is to overcome them. A defensive mindset will be self-defeating.

"There are enough attacking options within the midfield and wider areas to compensate for one striker," Miller said. "Maybe six or seven years ago we didn't have the attacking players in the middle of the field and it was more of a grind. All the lads in the dressing room are right behind [Levein] and whoever's picked will be ready to go."