Scots clubs can now only dream about Euro final

AROUND Albert Dock the place was alive.

As thousands of tourists and workers strolled around the water’s edge, cars buzzed past on the street with Liverpool flags flying.

Numerous homes around the city were draped in red and white.

A special feeling. A feeling you hope and pray might happen here again in Scotland, yet fear won’t.

Being in and around Merseyside this week mixed enjoyment with envy and made the words uttered by Martin O’Neill last Sunday hit home even harder.

O’Neill opined that it would be possible for Celtic to repeat what his side did in 2003 and reach a European final.

Thousands making the trip to Spain for the pilgrimage. The build-up, the buzz, the excitement.

It was the same five years later when Rangers got to the same final and faced Zenit in Manchester. On both occasions Glasgow felt part of something.

Just as Aberdeen did in 1983 when folk lined up at the harbour to get on boats to Gothenburg and got to the airport for flights to Sweden to see their team sink Real Madrid.

Inside Anfield on Monday the world’s media assembled, conducting interviews with Jurgen Klopp and his squad.

Liverpool, just as Madrid will this week, felt like the focus of the footballing universe until the roadshow moves over to Kiev for the actual contest.

There’s a magic in the air, a mystique.

Inside the restaurants, pubs and shops of Liverpool, everyone wants to talk about whether Klopp’s backline including Scot Andrew Robertson and former Celt Virgil van Dijk can handle Cristiano Ronaldo.

Will Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane finally expose the ageing legs of Sergio Ramos or will the great Spanish executioner leave enough reducers on the trio to blunt their talents.

The buzz of anticipation in Liverpool this week will be spread around the whole of England when the World Cup kicks off this summer.

Remember 1998 when Scotland actually made it a major finals?

Flags everywhere, folk making plans to go to France or drawing up get-togethers in houses and pubs to watch Craig Brown’s side. The likes of Colin Calderwood, John Collins and Colin Hendry the names on everyone’s lips. An entire nation stopped when we opened France 98 against Brazil.

This time we’ll be trying to forget about a trip to Peru and Mexico. Two friendlies that should never have been arranged and were only set up to help other countries prepare for the big one, just like when we faced France and Italy two years ago in another couple of warm-ups for others.

If the club final seems a million miles off, at least the international team should have some chance of getting to the next Euros.

Something, anything, just to get back on to the wheel.

A feeling you hope and pray might happen here again in Scotland, yet fear won’t