Vogts faces stark reality

Friendly games, according to the programme for Scotland's meeting with Denmark, are where you make your mistakes. Berti Vogts cannot have expected his players to interpret the edict so literally in the build-up to their Euro 2004 qualifying campaign, which starts with a hiding-to-nothing fixture in the Faroe Isles next month.

Vogts' record is now five defeats in as many matches, the worst sequence in the 130 years Scotland have been playing internationally. Their position in Fifa's world rankings is embarrassing enough – they stand joint 60th with Iraq after flirting with the top 20 under Craig Brown – but, if they lose to the amateurs and part-timers of the North Atlantic fishing outpost, it will feel like 160th in terms of national self-esteem.

The former Germany coach continues to argue that things will be different when the competitive fixtures begin (and the second game, away to Iceland a month later, would have been daunting at the best of times). But the visit of Denmark, a country with a near-identical population to Scotland's, and one the Scots were beating 4-1 away in World Cup combat 30 years ago, left even the wild-eyed optimists' division of the Tartan Army with a sense of foreboding.

Given that Vogts finally fielded something resembling his best team, he may now be wondering what he has let himself in for. Scotland's performance was bereft of any hint that he will be able to fulfil his pledge to make them a force over the next two years. A total of 33 players have featured during his six-month reign, few having made a positive impression. Systems have come and gone, starting with 4-4-2 in France before veering into 3-4-3 and 3-5-2.

The one unit which encouraged confidence before the Danish débâcle was central midfield, where the Old Firm captains, Paul Lambert and Barry Ferguson, were in tandem for the first time in two years. Vogts' disappointment was therefore acute after their anonymous performances. Yet it was asking a lot of them to lift such a raw, experimental team against one studded with players from some of Europe's leading clubs.

The fact that Denmark can call on three players from Milan, for instance, reflects the footballing culture of that country. In Scotland, where the sport is dominated by Celtic and Rangers, money is spent on buying players; in Denmark, where the national side is the focus of interest, the investment priority is in facilities for nurturing talent rather than transfers.

Vogts is aware of the disparity and cites Rangers fielding a solitary Scot in a recent match as an example of how it works against Scotland. In the short term, however, the small matter of breaking his duck in the Faroes dwarfs the bigger picture.