that he would not play international football again under manager George Burley. His decision came after Burley had left Boyd on the substitute bench in a 0–0 World Cup qualifying match against Norway, opting to bring on debutant Chris Iwelumo instead. When asked about the decision, Burley stated that Boyd had "to establish himself in the Rangers team, which he hasn't done". After hearing those comments, Boyd contacted Burley to inform him of his decision, and confirmed his decision with Gordon Smith, the chief executive of the Scottish Football Association. At a press conference on 13 October 2008, Burley hinted that the door might not be closed should Boyd reconsider, stating that Boyd, rather than he, had "made the decision", and that "... if [Boyd] is totally committed, that's what the country needs". On 16 November 2009, Burley was sacked as manager of Scotland after winning just three out of fourteen games as manager. After Craig Levein was appointed manager of Scotland in December 2009, Boyd stated that he was "ready and willing" to play for Scotland again. He was called up to the Scotland squad to play against the Czech Republic in a friendly on 3 March, and he received his sixteenth cap in the second half of the game. His most recent international appearance was in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Liechtenstein on 7 September 2010. Boyd was recalled to the squad for a friendly match with Norway in November 2013, but he did not play. His performances for Kilmarnock during the 2017–18 season led to suggestions that Boyd could be recalled to the national squad, aged 34. Boyd said that he was open to a recall, but also stated his belief that the national team needed to develop younger players. Style of play Boyd is typically defined as a goal poacher, whose key attribute is his strike rate. He scored an average of two goals for every three games when he arrived at Rangers; many of which came from the substitute bench, making his goals-to-games ratio even more impressive. He prefers to play in the penalty box, where he can play off the shoulder of defenders who are close to their goals. Former Rangers manager Alex McLeish compared him to rival Ally McCoist in goalscoring ability. When he fails to score, however, his overall contribution to the team is sometimes questioned. Manager Walter Smith occasionally chose not