 Dick Advocaat has a difficult relationship with his players |
Dick Advocaat's testiness as he reacted to the Euro 2004 draw symbolised the mounting pressure on the Netherlands manager. And it is a mood Berti Vogts and his Scotland side will attempt to exploit as they aim to overcome the odds in the two-leg play-off against one of the world's most talented group of players.
Advocaat, like so many of his predecessors, has had an uneasy relationship with the variety of big-name egos inhabiting his dressing-room - and with the media.
Uncomfortable caught in the media spotlight, he admits to an increasing dislike for the wall-to-wall coverage demanded of a manager with previous charges Rangers and now the Netherlands.
Advocaat did not even bother travelling to Frankfurt for Monday's draw for the play-offs, preferring to give a short, sharp reaction back in his homeland.
After speaking in his mother tongue, he was asked if he would give his assessment in English for British television but replied: "No, because they do not translate anything into Dutch."
It was a response that will surprise nobody who watched his often tense performances at Ibrox media conferences. Tales of bust-ups with his players are also hardly unexpected given the aloof Advocaat's reputed lack of man-management skills.
His national stewardship has suffered intense criticism during a European Championship campaign during which the Dutch failed to live up to their billing as Group 3 favourites.
Even a 5-0 defeat of Moldova on Saturday was no compensation for finishing behind group winners the Czech Republic.
Advocaat himself points to a record of one defeat in 17 international games as evidence that all is well, but the Dutch public are hard to please and their players notoriously difficult to handle.
 Ruud van Nistelrooy was dropped for the match against Moldova |
Fans were angered by the dropping of Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy for their final qualifier after insulting Advocaat while being substituted in a previous match. AC Milan's Clarence Seedorf was also left out after complaining about playing on the wing, Rangers' Fernando Ricksen has been banned for kicking in a hotel room door, Chelsea's Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was not picked for the squad to face Moldova, while relations are said to be difficult with skipper Frank de Boer.
The Dutch media believe that dislike between the players has contributed as much as Advocaat to the disharmony, but that is unlikely to be taken into account should they fail to qualify for their second major finals in a row.
Fortune favoured Advocaat in Monday's draw.
He avoided bigger threats, like Spain and Russia, Hampden is the scene of several previous successes with Rangers, he will have no need for great research into his opponents and playing at home in the second leg usually proves an advantage. And, as Dutch FA chief executive Henk Kessler states: "The Dutch people think it would be quite a disaster if, having missed out on the World Cup in Korea and Japan, we could not qualify for Euro 2004."
A Scotland victory would, in all likelihood, put the final nail in Advocaat's managerial coffin.
Unfortunately for Vogts and Scotland, when the pressure is on, Dutch sides usually put their petty squabbling behind them and come good on the day.
MMIX
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