Scotland prepare to tackle the Oranje boom in Amsterdam

Glenn Gibbons
EVEN among those jingoistic, tartan-clad hordes descending on Amsterdam this weekend, a majority will have concluded that, whatever delights the famously decadent Dutch city may hold, they are extremely unlikely to include a rewarding result for Scotland in tonight's World Cup qualifier.
It is, after all, virtually impossible to raise enthusiasm for an event that has already been dismissed by George Burley himself as a distant runner-up to Wednesday's match against Iceland as a vehicle for advancing the Scots' prospects of reaching South Africa next year.

For more than a week now, the national team manager has been taking what his supporters would call a realistic – and his opponents a fatalistic – view of the assignment against the Netherlands. As early as ten days ago, Burley told a gathering of print journalists that the second leg of the double-header next week was the more important of the two in terms of gathering the points that would assist in securing second place in Group 9, with a chance of reaching the play-offs.

Even Burley's sangfroid in the face of an ever-growing list of injuries and call-offs may be interpreted as a mute declaration of his conviction that the players in his charge are of such similar, moderate abilities that the withdrawals will not necessarily weaken the squad. At most, the absentees merely narrow his options with certain versatile players, restricting their deployment to one specific area of the team.

Gary Caldwell, the central defender who can operate as a holding midfielder, would be a prime example, the Celtic man now confined to the former role beside Christophe Berra because of the defections of David Weir and Stephen McManus.

Burley has, however, consistently expressed faith in his three "outstanding" midfielders, Scott Brown, Barry Ferguson and Darren Fletcher. This is something of a curiosity, since none of them – far less all three – has yet earned the description.

Brown has shown himself to be an inexhaustible and forceful presence with an unquestionable attitude to the game in the Scottish Premier League. He has also enjoyed a measure of success at international level in matches against Iceland – as a defensive midfielder policing Eidur Gudjohnsen – and Norway.

His is not the nuanced and subtle style of the creative midfielder and his effectiveness against opponents of the quality of the Dutch has yet to be proved. References to Brown which include the adjective "outstanding" – at least in the context of the task facing the Scots in the Amsterdam Arena – seem premature.

If Ferguson were a racehorse, Timeform would probably rate him as "useful", an above-average handicapper capable of winning a Listed race or a sub-standard Group 3, but certainly with no pretensions to the Classics. Despite his early promise, the Rangers midfielder has never come close to greatness, except perhaps among those who throw the word around with the insouciance of verbal wastrels.

He has had a conspicuously undistinguished season, although in this regard he is undoubtedly due a good measure of sympathy. Since his return from a long-term injury that required surgery, it has seemed obvious that Ferguson has been diminished in mobility – and possibly in spirit – by the wear and tear on his joints.

When Burley was asked in midweek to assess Ferguson's general form over the past few months, it seems significant – and just a little embarrassing – that he should underpin his praise of his captain with reference to a solitary performance, his "fantastic" display against Hamilton Academical a few weeks ago. The occasional flash of brightness excepted, Ferguson has not impressed as a player likely to induce hot flushes in Wesley Sneijder, Mark van Bommel or Robin van Persie.

Fletcher is a capable player, as he would have to be to have been signed by Manchester United at the age of 16 and to have remained at Old Trafford for the nine years since. But, at 25, he has yet to establish himself as a regular first choice. Contrastingly, his Dutch counterparts at some of Europe's biggest clubs are all automatic selections.

Sir Alex Ferguson has a high regard for Fletcher – he recently extended the player's contract – because his ability is reinforced by a very sound attitude. Fletcher is beyond doubt a real trier, but, with United, he is given a context in which to play, a specific role in which he is able to thrive in the company of exceptional team-mates. With Scotland, his deep desire to make a telling contribution often results in his overstretching himself to the point of ineffectiveness.

With Brown almost certain to be used as a defensive midfielder – thereby losing his forward thrusts – Fletcher and Ferguson, possibly flanked by Steven Whittaker on the right and James Morrison on the left, will have to carry a heavy burden at the heart of the middle quartet. Neither is blessed with genuine pace and it is a concern that they could be easily marginalised by fast-moving and quick-thinking, skilful opponents such as Sneijder, Van Bommel and Van Persie, with the hare, Arjen Robben, raiding on the left for the Dutch.

With the unavailability of Alan Hutton, kept in reserve for the Iceland match, the 37-year-old veteran, Graham Alexander, will be at right-back – his need for support from Whittaker against Robben should minimise the Rangers player's contribution in more forward areas – with Caldwell, Christophe Berra and Gary Naysmith making up the back four and Kenny Miller the most likely choice as the lone striker.

The sense of foreboding that seems to have enveloped Scotland in advance of this match appears to be even more pronounced than it was on those occasions when the World Cup finalists, Italy and France, had to be confronted in the qualifying series for Euro 2008. This is hardly surprising, given the preliminaries. It is distressingly difficult to escape the suspicion that the only matter to be resolved is the margin of Holland's victory.

Taken from the Scotsman