George Burley has endured a torrid 10 months since taking over as Scotland boss from Alex McLeish in January.

Three friendly games without a win against Croatia, Czech Republic and Northern Ireland were followed by a 1-0 defeat to Macedonia in Scotland's opening World Cup qualifier and although they won 2-1 in Iceland four days later, Saturday's 0-0 draw at home to Norway means it is extremely unlikely the Tartan Army will be making the long journey to South Africa in the summer of 2010.

Former Hearts and Southampton boss Burley has been unlucky in many ways with injuries and suspensions - Stephen McManus, Alan Hutton, Barry Ferguson and Kenny Miller were all missing from the side which took on Norway - and had Chris Iwelumo put away that chance on his international debut at Hampden, we may have been hailing a masterstroke.

But such are the margins between success and failure at the top level that many are calling for his head after just three competitive games in charge.

And although the initial media reaction to Kris Boyd's refusal to play under him again will add to his woes in the short-term, in the long run it won't unduly bother him.

I should say that, had I been in Burley's position on Saturday, I would have brought on Boyd before either Iwelumo or Steven Fletcher. In fact, I'd have started with a 4-4-2 formation and would certainly not have played James McFadden as a lone striker, but that's another debate.

However, the reasons for Burley deciding to bring on Iwelumo and Fletcher ahead of the Rangers striker are easy to understand - they both have much more to their all-round game. Both players can control, pass, hold the ball up and do all the basics better than Boyd, who is a fantastic goalscorer but has almost nothing else to his game.

Arguments rage on a weekly basis between Rangers fans - should Boyd play given that all he does is score goals, yet goals are what win games.

But when the goals dry up, as they have done recently, Boyd offers almost nothing. He has scored only twice in open play in the SPL since the beginning of March and on that sort of form could possibly be regarded as lucky to have even made Burley's squad to face Norway. Iwelumo has eight goals this season for Wolves, while Fletcher has impressed time and time again for the Under-21s so it's easy to see Burley's thinking.

Boyd's subsequent public declaration that he will not continue to represent Scotland under Burley should now ensure he is never considered for the national team ever again, regardless of who is boss.

After all, Burley is only following every manager Boyd has had since leaving Kilmarnock. McLeish, Paul Le Guen and Walter Smith, whether at club or international level, have not trusted Boyd in the big games.

Under McLeish, the man who signed him for Rangers, Boyd netted seven goals in his first six games before being benched for home games against Celtic and Villarreal in the Champions League last 16 first leg. And despite two goals in his next two league games, he was again left out of the starting XI for the away leg in Spain.

Le Guen, despite the various media reports that he was unhappy with Boyd, actually started him in more 'big' games than not but did suggest on a number of occasions that the striker had to buck up his ideas if he was to star at the focal point of his 4-3-3 formation.

Under Smith, it has got worse for Boyd. Last season, the 25-year-old was an unused substitute in 13 of Rangers' 17 Champions League and UEFA Cup matches and did not even take to the field in any of the four Old Firm meetings - a damning indictment of Boyd's lack of footballing ability.

The frustrating thing is Boyd still has an amazing goalscoring record. He has seven goals in 15 caps for Scotland - James McFadden has 13 in 41 - and his average at club level of around one in two means he is the second highest scorer since the SPL began in 1998-99, only behind Henrik Larsson.

That is why Rangers and Scotland fans become so infuriated over the issue. Boyd is blessed with an incredible ability to be in the right place in the right time and has a natural prowess to put the ball in the back of the net that many top strikers in European football would be envious of.

But he has shown almost no desire to improve his all-round game which could potentially turn him into a superstar. Not one part of his game has developed since moving to Ibrox. His link-up play is still poor, he tends to give free-kicks away in any aerial challenge outside the box, he continually gifts the ball back to the opposition and more often than not looks unfit.

At the age of 25, Boyd looks like he will waste what could be an outstanding career. It's no exagerration to say if he really wanted to, he could become one of the best strikers Scotland has ever produced.

Hard work and a willingness to learn could see him become a record scorer for both club and country and he doesn't even need to look far for inspiration.

His club team-mate Kirk Broadfoot was brought to Rangers from St Mirren in the summer of 2007 as a back-up centre-half but due to the sale of Alan Hutton was pitched in at right-back for much of the second half of last season. Despite a shaky start, Broadfoot has gone on to start a UEFA Cup final, won two caps for Scotland and has become almost a cult hero to fans who doubted him, much of it down to extra afternoon training sessions at Murray Park.

If Broadfoot can make the most of his ability in an unnatural position, surely Boyd can improve himself and become a decent all-round striker?

Since moving to Rangers, Boyd's game has not improved in any significant way and now instead of responding to being snubbed by Burley by knuckling down, scoring goals week in, week out and ensuring he cannot be overlooked next time, he's taken the easy, lazy way out.

Sadly this decision just about sums up a player who will surely go down in history as another in the long line of Scottish players who failed to make the most of his ability.