By Mike Burnett

Rift in Dutch camp deepens

On paper, the Euro 2004 play-off encounter at Hampden Park looks a one-sided affair.

With the likes of Van Nistelrooy, Hasselbaink, Makaay, Kluivert and Van der Vaart competing for a place up front, it is unlikely the Dutch will be quaking in their boots when they look at their opponents' team sheet.

Coach Berti Vogts is likely to give Stevie Crawford and Kenny Miller the unenviable task of unlocking the Orange defence this weekend.

But Saturday's showdown could rest more on the Netherlands' ability to hit the self-destruct button than the back of the net.

Once again, the technically brilliant but mentally volatile Dutch are dangling from a qualifying thread and the squad is rife with squabbling.

The latest bust-up has seen Ruud van Nistelrooy left out of the side after falling out with coach Dick Advocaat.

If the national team is quiet, everyone thinks it is sick Dutch coach Dick Advocaat

The Manchester United hitman took exception to being substituted during Holland's recent 3-1 defeat to the Czech Republic.

But seeing red rather than orange has been a perennial problem in the Dutch camp.

It seems players have a view about everything and have not been afraid to express themselves over the years.

Johan Cruyff, Wim Van Hanegem, Edgar Davids, and Ruud Gullit have all withdrawn from major tournaments, citing what pop bands might call artistic differences.

Cruyff started the tradition back in 1974, nearly pulling out of the World Cup final after the West German tabloid Bild published a story headlined, 'Cruyff, Champagne and Naked Girls'.

Soon after he announced he would not play in another World Cup and by the time of the next tournament a fashion of pulling out had begun.

Van Hanegem tearfully joined the bandwagon in 1978 by refusing to play after not being guaranteed a place on the team.

They might have been the masters of 'total football' on the pitch but it was 'total disarray' in the dressing room.

Cruyff enjoyed a volatile relationship with the national squad

In 1988 Cruyff advised Marco van Basten to walk out of the European Championship rather than start on the bench, but fortunately the star striker stayed.

Certainly, Advocaat is well-versed in tantrums and bust-ups.

It was his high-profile fall-out with Gullit which saw the midfield maestro fail to travel to the 1994 World Cup in USA.

More recently he has also enjoyed his fair share of awkward moments with the combustible Davids, who he describes as "not an easy chap," and Clarence Seedorf who "plays too much for himself".

So, it is not surprising arguments seem to be the norm in the Dutch camp.

"If the national team is quiet, everyone thinks it is sick," Advocaat said earlier this month.

David Winner, author of Brilliant Orange believes the answer lies in the national culture, psyche and history.

"The Dutch have a problem with authority on all areas of their lives," he said.

"They have a problem with strong leadership. They prefer to discuss things and make decisions among themselves."

Whatever the reason, the Dutch face the very real possibility of missing out on their second consecutive major tournament, after being knocked out of qualifying for the 2002 World Cup.