BELGIUM were a very good side the last time they came to Hampden for a World Cup qualifier, back in March 2001, but that team wasn't a patch on the current one.
That just shows what Scotland will be up against this Friday.
Along with the play-off defeat to England in 1999, the result that day, a 2-2 draw which all but ended our chances of going to South Korea and Japan, will always go down as one of the biggest regrets of my life. A bit like Kenny Miller admitted this week, I will always rue the fact I never played at a major finals for Scotland and that campaign is one I look back on as a real opportunity missed.
I think we would have qualified, or at least made the play-offs, if we had held on to our two-goal lead that afternoon. I scored a couple in the first half, but their current manager Marc Wilmots pulled one back and an injury-time equaliser from Daniel van Buyten, who is still part of the squad, made it an absolute sickener.
Belgium now have not only have a great starting XI, they have found real strength and depth and we have to compliment the Belgian FA for achieving that. There is clearly a solid structure in place there.
The fact central defenders Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen are both injured is a bonus for us, but they have so many good players that they always have great replacements. The most worrying thing for Scotland is that Belgium are even better now than they were when they beat us 2-0 in Brussels last October.
A while back, Christian Benteke wasn't even a regular starter, but there is no doubt with the way he is going at Aston Villa he has enhanced his game. Then there are Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne, who are starring for Chelsea, while Nacer Chadli and Jan Vertonghen are key players at Tottenham.
I wouldn't be surprised if Belgium go a long way at next year's World Cup but I think they might just be a wee bit short of winning it. They are dark horses but sometimes you need a bit of experience to win the World Cup, and Spain, Germany and Brazil all have more of that.
I don't expect us to win on Friday - I'm just being realistic - but we always give teams a game at Hampden. We can't qualify but it is all about performances right now. I can see positive signs and we need to build on what we did against Croatia and England. I wouldn't be upset if it was a similar game to last month's match at Wembley. I wouldn't mind if we lost narrowly, as long as the performance was decent.
It is going to be a tough night for us but I don't think Belgium will come and wipe the floor with us. No nation ever enjoyed coming to Hampden, even when we were struggling more than we are right now. Take Spain in the previous campaign, for instance, when we fought back from two goals down.
With Kenny having retired from international football, Leigh Griffiths and Jordan Rhodes have got to be pushing for a place, but I have a feeling neither will start. In a game like this, experience will count and we could do with someone who is capable of holding the ball up and still getting in behind, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Jamie Mackie of Nottingham Forest being given the lone striker's role.
Ross McCormack is another interesting option - he was a young boy coming through at Rangers when I was there and was always a great instinctive finisher - but Mackie is a strong runner who can go in behind. Of course, Steven Fletcher looks like he would be the main man if he can get himself fit, but at the moment there are chances up for grabs for the other boys.
CONSIDERING none of these strikers currently play at the top level, another man who deserves a chance is Stephen Dobbie, now turning out in the English Premier League with Crystal Palace.
In the past he did not have the workrate and I think that is why the Scotland scene has passed him but he is one of the best finishers I have ever worked with and can score goals out of nothing. When he was at Queen of the South I always knew he could go up the levels and having seen him involved in the in the play-offs a few times it is brilliant he has finally made it.
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