Holland 3 Scotland 0

Mar 30 2009 by James Traynor

THE most depressing aspect of the lot is that not a single one of us in that truly stunning football theatre, the Amsterdam ArenA, was shocked.

Scotland’s World Cup qualifying tie against the Netherlands unfolded pretty much as expected. If anything, the only surprise is that Holland didn’t actually run up another totally embarrassing scoreline.

Other than that the match followed a script written by our opponents.

The Scots would start off in a disciplined manner with five scurrying about the midfield areas trying to make their presence felt. The Dutch would ignore them. They did.

Typical.

Scotland would get one golden opportunity. It would fall to Kenny Miller and the striker, whose confidence is shot, would take an eternity to bring the ball under control. The chance would be lost.

Typical.

Eventually Holland would slip into something between first and second gears – although that man Arjen Robben has a Formula One gear – and Scotland would be bypassed and reduced to spectators. Especially at two of Holland’s goals.

Typical.

There is nothing and no one in George Burley’s camp capable of taking control of a game or altering its course.

We don’t have a player who inspires belief the way Robben, Mark van Bommel,Robin van Persie or Wesley Sneijder can, and he played for only the last 25 minutes.

And of course that’s precisely why, with an inferior goal difference, we are now sitting behind second-placed Iceland in Group 9. We’re almost down and out, but not quite.

Typical, isn’t it?

Now we have to win all four of our remaining matches, against Iceland at Hampden on Wednesday, Norway away and Macedonia and then Holland at home.

Sorry, but all the evidence provided so far in this group tends to make that an impossibility.

Just think back to Saturday night and the defensive disarray which allowed Holland their goals and ask if we have the savvy to compete at this level.

Examine the series of lapses which led to Holland’s first goal just after half an hour.

They had been threatening to do something for at least five minutes before, but the Scots failed to recognise the menace in the increased tempo.

Eventually van Bommel, who sauntered through the entire match with an imperious air, curled in a superb cross which sailed into that dangerous no-man’s land where goalkeepers always fear to tread.

Gary Caldwell had to stretch but the ball dropped behind him and on to Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

Graham Alexander failed to tuck in behind and cover his central defender and the Real Madrid striker had a simple header to open the scoring.

After that Scotland suffered a long spell during which they were run ragged. The Dutch knocked the ball around at ease and at pace,every pass sapping a little more of the energy and spirit from Burley’s men.

Holland’s second hit the net in first half injury-time and again the defending was no better that you’d see in a school playground.

Robben took a corner on Scotland’s right, van Persie lost Darren Fletcher and rose to nod beyond McGregor, who should have come from his line this time although Dirk Kuyt may obstructed his movement.

Again though, the defending was shambolic, yet this Scotland side are under the control of three, Burley, Terry Butcher and Steven Pressley, who made their livings as defenders.

Injuries did limit Burley’s options but even so the lack of discipline, never mind communication, at the back was worrying, but so, too, was the decision to play with both Gary Teale and Ross McCormack in the wide areas.

It looked bold enough and was no doubt supposed to create forward momentum, but it left us open to Holland’s speed and touches.

Poor old Alexander must have doubted the wisdom of playing on at this level at 37 years of age. He suffered when Robben went for a run but the same happened at the opposite end when the Real Madrid star drifted over to torment Gary Naysmith.

Robben can give the world’s best defenders a roasting but on Saturday night he was up against journeymen and Scotland really should have had a moredefensive set-up to cope with him, van Persie and Huntelaar.

Scott Brown was ordered to patrol the area between the midfield and defence and pick up van Persie,but the Celtic player’s effectiveness is dulled when he has to perform this kind of role and perhaps Barry Ferguson would have been better in that space.

Scotland, of course, will continue to complain that Caldwell’s headed goal from McCormack’s header shouldn’t have been disallowed by French referee Laurent Duhamel, but there is more than a suggestion Teale fouled Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg.

However, would a goal have driven Scotland on to salvage a point? No chance,but it might have slowed Holland down and denied them their third.

Just after Scotland’s strike was rejected the Dutch were back at the other end where Christophe Berra lunged at Huntelaar needlessly conceding a penalty. Liverpool’s Kuyt sent the ball one way while McGregor sprang the other. Lesson over.

It wasn’t 6-0 like the last time, but it was still a sore one and now Scotland have a monumental task ahead of them if they are to regain second place in the group and stay there. If only we had a van Bommel, who played some fantastic passes with a languid ease, a Robben or a Sneijder.

We don’tand we’ll have to make do with what we do have and hope they can find something special because Scotland needs a boost and nothing moves us more than our national team.

But the next one is at Hampden and we have to go for all three points which means Burley will have to get men forward.

Brown will be given a more advanced role this time and James Morrison should start instead of Teale, who had no effect on Saturday night.

Miller might get another start, but Steven Fletcher should find a place,too. He looked lively when he took over from Miller 20 minutes from the end. Alan Hutton will also start on Wednesday when Scotland will have to make sure they get forward as often as possible.

Taken from the Daily Record