IF Belgium blitz Scotland in Brussels tonight, and end our hopes making it to Rio 2014, one man must carry a large chunk of the blame – Dick Advocaat.

The former Rangers mana-ger is responsible for the re-birth of the Belgians as a major force in international football. And he did it in just seven turbulent months.

During his 10 games in charge, The Little General is credited with turning around the fortunes of a country which, like Scotland at the moment, was heading in the wrong direction.

Tonight, the Belgians are fully expected to take another giant step towards winning Qualification Group A, and booking their spot in the World Cup Finals in Brazil in 2014.

It will be their first appearance at a major finals since Japan/Korea 2002. And, if they can get there, the chances are Advocaat will be their guest of honour.

It was in October 2009 that the Dutchman was parachuted in to revolutionise a system which had gone so badly wrong.

Though he met with resistance, his strong personality and perseverance won the day and solid foundations for a relaunch of the national team were established.

Now, two years after he moved on to take over as Russia's national coach, the Belgian national team is being hailed as one of the up-and-coming powers in European football, with a smattering of quality players who are gracing top clubs far beyond the Belgian border.

Vincent Kompany, Eden Hazard, Axel Witsel, Kevin de Bruyne, Marouane Fellaini, Kevin Mirallas are all putting Belgium back on the map.

Current national team manager, Marc Wilmots, is taking the plaudits. But, in Belgian football circles, it is widely accepted that he is only carrying on the good work started by Advocaat, without whose input this sea-change in fortune would not have been possible.

Maryan Mahieu works for TV Brussels and reports on the fortunes of Belgium's national and club sides.

He can recall when Scotland and Belgium were on a par and regularly went toe-to-toe in qualification groups, with both in serious contention for a place a major finals.

Mahieu has also seen both national teams hit the skids, with only Belgium succeeding in pulling themselves out of their slump.

He said: "Belgium last reached a major finals at the World Cup in Japan 2002. We lost 2-0 to Brazil in Kobe, and Marc Wilmots thought he had scored for Belgium, but it was disallowed and we were eliminated.

"That's the point when things started to go wrong for Belgium. We didn't qualify for Euro 2004, the World Cup in 2006, or the Euros in 2008, and we changed coach a few times.

"When we once again failed to qualify for South Africa 2010, the Belgian FA finally said: 'We have to change' and they made the decision to go for a foreign coach. Dick Advocaat was the man they selected, and that was the turning point for our national team.

"Up until then, it had always been the same story. We played well, made chances, missed them, made mistakes in defence and did not win games we should have.

"We had held on to the older generation of players for too long, and the new generation had to be given the opportunity to replace them."

This new crop had already played together for a number of years, representing their country at the 2007 European Under-21 finals in Holland and then in the 2008 Olympics.

However, while the raw talent was there, it required the firm hand of Advocaat to mould them into a winning side.

"He brought professionalism to the players, and changed the thinking of the Belgian FA," recalled Mahieu.

"There was a lack of structure within the team, and they had needed luck to qualify. Then that luck ran out. Advocaat brought a bit of Dutch mentality and discipline to the players.

"And, when he left, Georges Leekens took over, and he continued to demand this discipline and structure. But he did not enjoy much luck and started his time in charge with a record of no wins in six games.

"Small mistakes were still preventing Belgium getting the results they deserved, and they missed out on Euro 2012, but the progress could be seen, and they stuck with it.

"The biggest problem was that the team was not yet mature enough. They had more talent than the good Belgium side of the 80s and 90s, but not the maturity.

"Now, with these players at top clubs across Europe and in England, they have this maturity. And, for the first time we believe we have a team that can beat top countries in the world, though the victory against Serbia at the weekend was really the first timer we have won a competitive game against a top nation."

The timing of that breakthrough could not be worse for Scotland. But Mahieu has seen too many false dawns to take anything for granted.

"Expectation is very high among the supporters, but I still do not think we are a team," he said. "Individually, we are very good, but collectively we have still to come together."

Mahieu is convinced Wilmots is the man to provide the necessary bond and said: "He has the fighting spirit and winning mentality he showed as a player.

"Wilmots has not got the best CV as a coach, but he has the personal qualities as leader. If he can bring that mentality to the team, they can go far."

Mahieu would like to see Scotland follow the Belgians back to major finals, but he admits it takes timing to coincide with good fortune and good people for this kind of dramatic turn around to be possible.

"Belgian has an unexpected generation of players with a lot of talent," he explained. "And you can't do that to order.

"This group have been developed as a collective from a young age, and even that is not easy to achieve because players when they are still in their teens are now paid so much by their clubs that is often difficult to get them to follow the orders required to make them perform well for national teams."