There is no doubt in James McFadden’s mind that he is No 1 when it comes to pulling on a Scotland shirt. So, you would hardly expect the Birmingham City striker to lower his sights when it comes to a country’s collective ambition, simply because of one bad day at the office.

McFadden believes that Scotland can still qualify for the World Cup finals in 2010 and he does not mean by the backdoor play-off route on offer to the team that finishes second in group nine. Holland might be sitting in pole position but the man who condemned them to defeat the last time they came to Glasgow is keeping the faith.

“We have to believe that we can still win the group,” striker said, once he had got over the dual disappointment of drawing against Norway and of being taken off after just 56 minutes by George Burley, to make way for the ill-fated Chris Iwelumo.

“If you go out with the attitude that you are second-best to any country, there is no point in playing,” Scotland’s top scorer, who also killed off France in Paris last season with one audacious swipe of his boot, said. “We have to believe that we can still win every game. I think we have the players that are capable of doing that. We don’t go to Amsterdam until March. Holland have changed a lot since they lost here [in 2003] and we have got a bit more belief about ourselves.”

The Hampden Park crowd booed Burley’s decision to take off McFadden and the look of displeasure on McFadden’s face told its own story. “I was very disappointed,” he said. “My groin was a bit sore at half-time but I never signalled to come off as I didn’t feel the effects in the second half.

“I felt fine. I was a bit tired but still had more to give. It was frustrating we didn’t take the chances – not the fact that I wasn’t on to take them. I won’t speak to the manager about it. He makes the decisions and I have to abide by them. I just have to take it on the chin.”

Darren Fletcher was equally bullish. “Four points is not disastrous but obviously we’d like to have more,” the Scotland captain said. “It’s not as if Norway are pulling away from us and there is still a lot to play for. We might have to take something over there. We’ll see how the group looks at that time but I think it is important not to lose away from home.

“We do end the group with three out of four games at home, so we’ll see what we have to do. We’ll have to pick up points away from home as well and we are capable of doing that. We’ll look forward to the challenge.

“The expectation levels are something we have to deal with. We are trying to be a bit more attacking, not just sit behind the ball and hit teams on the counter-attack. Sometimes it is easier away from home because you are afforded a bit more time to be patient. It’s still in our hands and that’s all we can ask for.”

Fletcher, who earned his first cap as a teenager, was making his 40th appearance and assumed the arm-band because of the injury to the regular captain, Barry Ferguson, and the suspension of the vice-captain, Stephen McManus. “It doesn’t matter if you are captain or not – it’s disappointing when you don’t win,” the Manchester United midfield player said. “Being captain was a special moment but it doesn’t make it more disappointing. If I was not captain I’d still be disappointed by not winning.”