Scotland are not going to Russia ... Icke it or not
Scotland are not going to qualify for Russia 2018.
Blunt and straight to the point is usually the best way to deal with the collective hysteria and delusional optimism that has been flying in the face of the facts.
We’ve had three wins from our last 11 qualifiers yet many are talking up our ability to secure a flawless four-match f inish to our group. It’s stretching wishful thinking into uncharted territory.
Gordon Strachan’s starting to sound like the guy on the ‘crack cocaine’ range of high street fixed odds bet ti n g terminals by spinning the ‘ We can still get there’ chat.
Nope . La s t Saturday was a ‘must win’ – and we didn’t.
Scotland were poor for long spells against the Eng lish , defensively ropey and severel y lacking in quality whi le in safe possession.
Still, Strachan is converting the cynics – even the Tartan A rmy ar e s ou nd in g dangerously irrational.
Next they’ ll be ditching their kilts and Timberlands for turquoise tracksuits and start following David Icke.
Statisticians and pundits are putting forward possible pathways towards finishing second in the group and gaining a play-off spot.
But there’s nothing worse than false hope. Walter Smith provided a more realistic perspective a few months ago.
The former Scotland gaffer was at Hampden for the 1-1 with Lithuania last October, a dreadful display and the first sign that this would be another campaign of getting the calculators out early.
He spoke of the frustrations of being in charge of an ever decreasing talent pool of players and admitted he stopped watching the Scottish boys midway through the fiasco and started to focus on the Lithuanians. A nation of unheralded footballers with a superior touch and ability. They wer e qu ic k e r, stronger and had a talent to travel with the bal l whi le making composed decisions to boot.
Whi le on the subject of home truths, there’s another jab to the senses in store for our returning heroes f rom Toulon, who are for all intent and purposes our cur rent Scotland Under-21 side.
The narrative was written of a success in France, a third- place f inish that included a 3- 0 bashing from England’s U19s.
It was more depressing evidence of another team who don’t have the tools to raise the bar at international level.
Sometimes it’s better to be cruel to be kind and pray for better days by hoping fortune favours Project Brave.
Even the Tartan Army sound irrational ... next they’ll be following David Icke