Robertson and Mctominay offer some hope
Watching Manchester United and Liverpool turn on the style last Saturday at Old Trafford brought memories flooding back.
This was always a fixture the Tartan Army looked out for down the years with so many Scots involved. Not so much so recently, but we can dream.
My first experience of attending this fixture was the 1977 FA Cup final at Wembley.
Liverpool were favourites, having won the Championship the week before, then due to fly to Rome immediately after Wembley to play Borussia Moenchengladbach in the European Cup final.
However, United’s Scottish contingent – manager Tommy Docherty, skipper Martin Buchan, Lou Macari and Arthur Albiston – had other ideas and United won an epic match 2-1.
That was one of the rare occasions around this era that Liverpool didn’t have a Scot in their first team.
Bill Shankly had left the club three years earlier, Ian St John and Ron Yeats had retired and Peter Cormack had been sold to Bristol City that season.
The Anfield club soon got back their tartan identity by signing Kenny Dalglish, Alan Hansen and Graeme Souness.
It wasn’t long before United also strengthened their Scottish tradition by signing Joe Jordan and Gordon Mcqueen from Leeds United.
So it was no co-incidence that Scotland qualified for World Cup Finals around this time, with players of this ability performing at such a high level.
However, with football changing dramatically over the years, English clubs are able to shop world-wide, thanks to the exorbitant amounts of money being paid by Sky Sports.
In recent years, very few Scots have made it into the first-teams at Old Trafford and Anfield, but last Saturday offered some hope.
Scott Mctominay was in the United midfield, and Alex Mcleish has already pulled off one masterstroke on his return to the helm before an international has even been played.
Talking the Lancaster-born 21-year-old midfielder into taking advantage of his father’s nationality ahead of England has given everyone a boost north of the border.
Mctominay is currently giving United’s French internationalist, Paul Pogba – an £89m purchase from Juventus – a run for his money.
He appears certain to play in Friday’s friendly against Costa Rica at Hampden.
And in opposition at Old Trafford last weekend was Andy Robertson, who has already established himself with both Liverpool and Scotland, with Anfield manager Jurgen Klopp regularly singing his praises.
Sure we’re only talking about two players at present but a Scotland revival has to start somewhere.