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I DO not expect a win or a point for Scotland against Holland in the Amsterdam ArenA on Saturday night. I do expect a battling display, backs to the wall at times, but in the end a defeat is more than likely.

Pessimistic? No. Realistic? Yes, and I'm hopeful that we see enough from George Burley's XI to suggest that we are ready for the more important battle against Iceland next Wednesday night.

There is a growing fear that this could be another 6-0 hammering at the hands of the Dutch, so could lightning strike twice?

I don't think so, providing George takes a leaf out of Walter Smith and Alex McLeish's book and plays a 4-5-1, with the emphasis on defending and spoiling the beautiful game for the Dutch.

Yes, despite considering myself as a football purist, I am advocating the same dull and negative tactics that Walter adopted to take Rangers all the way to the Uefa Cup Final and for which we bashed him over the head for playing.

The Rangers gaffer suggested last week that we all wanted to see the beautiful game, but for that we need beautiful players. Point taken, Walter.

We have two, maybe three, capable of that in the probable starting eleven, so let's play ugly instead.

I am delighted George has picked Allan McGregor in goal, because opting for Craig Gordon would have left him wide open to criticism if it all went wrong on Saturday night.

Alan Hutton, well short of match fitness, is a better bet to make his comeback for the Wednesday match against Iceland, although that would still be a gamble.

The back four is a real worry. We are not blessed with top-drawer defenders, but more often than not they are well organised.

Christophe Berra is a novice on the international scene and the step up from Coca-Cola Championship football to a World Cup qualifier will be a real test for him.

The Wolves centre-back, however, will be the only man with genuine pace in defence and Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben might have a field day with the others, if not all four.

Midfield is the strongest area in the squad, but with Kris Commons and Paul Hartley now out, there's even more pressure on Darren Fletcher, Scott Brown and Barry Ferguson in midfield.

All three are grafters and their quality in holding on to the ball and supporting Kenny Miller, playing as the lone attacker will be vital.

Luck may be the key to avoiding any embarrassment, allied to the realisation that the Dutch are not rock solid at the back.

Middle to front they are good, but they will give up chances for us and it's whether we can take our one, maybe two, James McFadden moments in the game.

In the Parc de Princes against France, I can remember celebrating a nutmeg on the halfway line by the Birmingham striker as if we had won the World Cup itself.

That's how much we were getting battered that night. Sadly, there's no James and I doubt whether Miller could bring the ball out of the air and hit it from 35 yards to shock the Dutch the way we did the French back in 2007.

The last time I was in the Amsterdam ArenA was in 2003, when Berti Vogts was the national manager.

The sea of orange inside the stadium was impressive, the wave after wave of attacks on the park equally so, but also depressing after goal number six was fired in by Ruud Van Nistelrooy for his hat-trick.

I hope we're not on the end of another hiding. It could crush our faint hopes of a play-off place. I still don't fancy us to make South Africa in 2010, but let's fight for it. I predict a 2-0 loss to Holland, and a win over Iceland to keep us all interested through the rest of 2009. Big Bobo is at the wind-up

YESTERDAY'S Sport-Times exclusive about Bobo Balde wanting a new contract at Celtic on a pay-per-play deal made me think his agents are having a laugh.

They must know there is no way in this world that is going to happen. First and foremost, Gordon Strachan just won't play him.

It doesn't matter if Balde offered to play for free, once the Celtic manager decides you aren't in his plans then you can forget it.

And there is also so much water under the bridge between the two parties that it would be impossible to make a fresh start.

I was surprised to read the offer had been made to Celtic as the player had an opportunity to leave in the past, but refused because he wouldn't sign a confidentiality clause. So I think the whole idea is total non-starter. Yet again Gordon Strachan is painting lovely pictures that no one else can see.

His post-match assessment of Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink being "terrific" in the first half of the 2-2 draw with Dundee United left me flabbergasted.

If big Jan is not shown the door in the summer it is mismanagement. He has no pace and offers no threat to opposition defenders.

The £750,000 bargain from Motherwell in Scott McDonald provided far more value for money last season and this campaign too. Caldo's got a BIG problem

WHO'D be a manager? Aberdeen fans want Jimmy Calderwood sacked. In Jimmy's five years at Pittodrie, with money tight and the Fergie years haunting him in every picture on every wall, the Dons boss has guided them to the top six four times, albeit with this campaign yet to finish.

There have been many highs and lows; the Uefa Cup win against FC Copenhagen, the hard fought 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich, wins over Celtic and Rangers, but apparently the pain of a cup exit to Dunfermline this season is a bridge too far.

Aberdeen are no longer a big club, but the supporters still think they are and that's been Jimmy's main problem from the start.

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