Fletcher keen on 'expansive' approach

Darren Fletcher believes now is the time for Scotland to try to play football rather than relying on sheer luck to win matches as they prepare to face Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.

Although the jury may still be out on boss George Burley as far as some are concerned, Fletcher insists the former Hearts boss should be applauded for the footballing philosophy he is trying to instil despite the nation's failure to qualify for next summer's World Cup finals in South Africa.

"He wants us to be more expansive, he wants us to get the ball down and play in the right way. Not gung-ho, we have to be hard to beat, disciplined and hard to break down," said Fletcher.

"But we've got players who can play football. That's the thing I've noticed about the squad, that we've got a lot more technically-gifted players, players who can do something, players who can win a match.

"We need to keep the strong base and be hard to beat but at times we need to be more expansive and win games.

"We sat behind the ball for 90 minutes and nicked a win against France. That was lucky. Don't get me wrong, it was a great result. But you can't say it was a magnificent performance in terms of getting a result.

"We need to defend well and be solid as a team but we also have to attack at the right opportunities and try to win the match."