Scots hit by withdrawals

CRAIG BROWN brought his Scotland players here yesterday trusting in an old truth - that out of chaos comes order.

Despite the mishaps which have turned his original plans topsy-turvy - Eoin Jess of Coventry became the fifth to cry off yesterday Brown retains a faith in the it'll be all right on the night philosophy which is almost touching.

Latvia have to be met and beaten in the Daugava Stadium tonight, with Estonia waiting just along the Baltic shore in the second leg of a World Cup double header on Wednesday.

Having tormented himself for two days with a selection dilemma, the Scotland manager has decided to minimise the number of changes he will make to the side which drew 0-0 with Austria in Vienna in the opening match of the series last month.

It means that Derek Whyte of Middlesbrough will be a straight replacement for the injured Colin Hendry in central defence, and that the two strikers will come from the trio of John Spencer of Chelsea, Aberdeen's Billy Dodds and Darren Jackson of Hibs.

"That will keep us down to just three differences from Vienna," he said. "When changes are forced upon you, as in our situation now, it's best to keep them to a minimum. I have for some time wanted to see Craig Burley in central defence, with Jackie McNamara of Celtic getting his first cap in the right wing back position.

"But, in the circumstances, it is probably best just to put Whyte in for Hendry and leave the rest untouched. I really have to keep the identities of the front men to myself, because Janis Gilis, the Latvian coach, is a shrewdie and it would help him to know who they'll be.

"For example, they usually play three very tall men in central defence and if they knew, for example, that we would have two diminutive strikers like Dodds and Spencer, they could change that and bring in Igor Troickis, who is a smaller, more footballing type, at the back."

Brown has long been a Spencer fan, but the Chelsea forward has so far failed to distinguish himself at international level, while Dodds has yet to win his first full cap. He may consider it too risky to play both small men, even if Jackson, most of whose 12 appearances have been as a substitute, is himself not exactly a giant of the international stage.

Brown's greatest concern is the one which has kept him company throughout his three year term as manager where will the goals come from? His three contenders for the two front places have not mustered a single score between them for Scotland.

Waiting just off stage, however, will be John McGinlay, the Bolton striker who has scored three in nine international matches.

It is in the more forward areas that the midfielders, Gary McAllister and John Collins, will be encouraged to do much of their work. Both formidable strikers of the ball, they could be handy auxiliary forwards if given the opportunity to forage in the vicinity of Oleg Karavajev, the Latvian goalkeeper.