It would be just so very Scottish to fall at the final hurdle
GREAT things don’t always happen by design, but sometimes by accident.
Should Scotland make it through to the 2018 World Cup Finals in Russia, there will be few fans who care to dwell too deeply on the early travails of this Group F qualifying campaign.
Memories of an abject performance in Slovakia, plus an oh- so frustrating draw against Lithuania at Hampden, are being soothed away by the country’s marked improvement of late.
There was so much to like about Friday’s vibrant performance in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius.
So much that spoke to the emergence of a young, vigorous, developing side, capable of punching its weight in the international game.
And that, as much as our continued stake in the qualifying numbers game the 3- 0 victory delivered, was the pleasing thing.
When the dust had settled yesterday morning, the first bookmaker to react slashed Scotland’s odds of qualifying from 20-1 down to 8/1.
That’s a significant cut and the price is likely to shrink still further should, as expected, the Dark Blues follow up by beating Malta tomorrow and England see off Slovakia at Wembley at the same time.
It still rates us as having a one in nine chance of ending an absence from a major tournament, stretching all the way back to 1998.
Which, given the potential strength of
the opposition we would be liable to face in the play-off, is probably fair enough.
On current group standings, expect Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Iceland, Greece and Montenegro to be vying with Scotland for a place.
Remember that only the eight best runners-up make the play-offs.
To battle all the way to second place, only to become the one sorry side not to get any reward for finishing runners-up would be a quintessentially Scottish fate.
Whatever happens next, though – and Slovakia at home at the start of next month is now looking a mouth-watering prospect – there are reasons to be cheerful. Plenty of them. After initial scepticism – not a single Celtic player started against Lithuania back in October – national coach Gordon Strachan has positively embraced the so-called Brendan Rodgers revolution and is reaping the benefit.
Six Celts started in Vilnius – Craig Gordon, Kieran Tierney, Scott Brown, Stuart Armstrong, James Forrest and Leigh Griffiths.
A seventh example of the Brendan Effect, Callum McGregor, didn’t make the squad and could count himself extremely unlucky.
A key part of Rodgers’ high- energy, passing and pressing game – and a player who has already been capped – the 24-year-old will surely have a role to play for his country in the future.
And then there are the others, led by Andy Robertson, the Liverpool left-back who was actually rejected by Celtic as a kid for being too small.
In a perfect advert for Scottish grit and tenacity, he worked his way up from Queen’s Park to Dundee United to Hull City to Anfield and, on the evidence of Friday’s goal, he is developing into an outstanding internationalist.
With Robertson and Tierney on the flanks, Scotland have the makings of an outstanding back four.
However, in the centre, Charlie Mulgrew seems to drop a league a year and is getting towards the veteran stage, and Christophe Berra isn’t at the required level for top international football.
Magic up a decent young centre-half from somewhere – and here again an accidental find would be just as welcome – and the Tartan Army would really have cause to get excited.
But what a difference a game makes, and prepare for a roller-coaster ride.