CARNAGE; Typhoon causes chaos as Scots fly into Japan.

Byline: CRAIG SWAN 

GEORGE BURLEY flew into a storm in Tokyo - and it had nothing to do with the spate of call-offs that had made a mockery of his squad selection.

Scotland's travelling group arrived in Japan quite literally blown in by the winds of Typhoon Melor which ripped through the country in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Burley, of course, was aware of the weather warnings before the squad jetted out and insisted it couldn't be that bad having survived some bitter days on the Ayrshire coast.

It's not clear how many bad flights Burley has had into Prestwick Airport but there isn't much chance they could have been worse than the approach to Narita's runway.

The squad and SFA staff were buffeted around like hair in a hurricane and backsides were making buttons as they slammed on to the tarmac in Tokyo.

Having suffered a problem coming in to land at Heathrow on leg one of the journey, there may be one or two volunteers considering a boat back.

By the time Scotland got to training last night, there was calm in the air. That, though, was in sharp contrast to the events when Melor hit town.

On the Wednesday evening TV screens were awash with news reporters and weather forecasters showing pictures of the scenes as Melor made its way to Honshu Island.

Strangely, no one seemed that bothered, despite warnings on English-language radio channels that it might be a good idea to get some provisions into the house.

It all sounded a tad extreme but while Melor wasn't lifting people off the streets and firing them away like cigarette-ends out of a car window, it did do some damage.

Cancelled

Although Scotland's flight landed in Tokyo, hundreds of other planes were cancelled and sadly there were a couple of fatalities.

It started off with the type of rain you only seem to get when waiting in a taxi queue but the winds of Melor soon arrived around 9am peeling roofs from houses and cutting electricity to hundreds of thousands before turning back toward the sea.

In the area surrounding the Nissan Stadium, where Scotland will play tomorrow,Yokohama residents were seen bent double trying to stay upright.

Two died and dozens were injured as the storm flooded roads and homes, toppled trees and power lines and heavily damaged some buildings on the outskirts.

Nearly 30 people were injured across the country and more than 11,000 people were evacuated to shelters, according to the numbercrunchers of the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

The news broadcasts showed partially-submerged cars, bridges destroyed by the flooding and large shipping containers scattered by the strong wind.

But it wasn't all bad and some folk got a result. With train operators cancelling services on many lines, rail workers across the city got a morning off and commuters were told to get off trains going to work and go home.

When Melor decided enough was enough, sunshine broke through the clouds around midday bringing a sense of relief to the locals.

There were no scenes of devastation in the built-up areas -no cars turned upside in the street and nothing flattened around the town centre. The damage, it seemed, was confined to the outskirts.

The locals just shrugged it off and with no signs of resultant damage it was back to the normal routine for the good people ofYokohama.

Resultant and hefty damage was, however, reported in the pockets of several Tartan Army members when they first glimpsed the ray of sunlight.

The bright neon lights ofTokyo and Yokohama have attracted around 500 hardy souls to follow Burley's boys to the Land of the Rising Pint Prices.

Those wishing to gawp at the stunning views of the city and the Nissan Stadium could head for a bar at the top of the hotel nearest the 2002 World Cup Final-hosting ground.

Sponsors

Upon arrival it was not the height of their 42nd-floor vantage point which brought gasps of fear and trepidation. No, these yelps came from the punters who had just been asked to fork out close-on eight quid for the pint of lager they had just taken a first sip from.

Fittingly, the brew is Kirin, the company who are the sponsors of tomorrow's friendly. It's little wonder they can pay the expenses of visiting teams to come and play Japan given the cost of an ale. But the Tartan Army is nothing if not resourceful and they quickly discovered that away from the fancy lights and flashy hotels, there are bargains to be had.

Just about every second doorway in the little streets which run through theYokohama district of Shin near the stadium houses a local noodle bar.

Mingling with the locals, the Scots were able to snap up endless bowls of the cuisine and a beer for less than a fiver. That type of frugal management would have the hierarchy at Parkhead and Ibrox purring.

Football chat is not, however, on the agenda for the locals. Scotland may not be the draw they once were but around town you would struggle to notice there was a game on tomorrow.

One small poster on a wall outside a newsagent's shop pictured a footballer and it seemed to be an advert for the match between Japan and Scotland. Not that any of the visiting troops had any hope of reading it, or anything else for that matter.

Perhaps news of the call-offs has reached the locals and they have no interest in welcoming a secondstring Scotland.

Burley will be hoping that the opposition take the same disinterest in the impressive Nissan Stadium as, friendly or not, this result is massive for the manager.

If he can come here with a decimated squad and get a positive outcome against a team which has qualified for the World Cup finals in South Africa next summer, it will be a major shot in the arm for the new-look squad and their boss.

If it all goes Thrupennys Up, Burley might find Melor was a gentle breeze compared to the gale of unhappiness he will be greeted with when he gets back to Glasgow.

CAPTION(S):

LET US PLAY: George Burley seems to be calling on a higher authority OUT OF CONTROL: A workman looks at the scenes of devastation while, below, huge waves batter the shore and, below left, bikes are strewn about in the wake of the storm