Scotland reporter notebook: Can Steve Clarke and co finally end the nation’s World Cup exile?

Here we go again, the age-old question for every Scotland fan: is this the time we end our exile from the biggest tournament football has to offer?

World Cup qualifying is about to begin, and very quickly will we discover if Scotland will be heading to North America next year given the truncated nature of the qualification process.

Denmark, Belarus and Greece stand between the national team and their first World Cup since France ’98. Six games in three months in this quickfire group.

The last time I covered Scotland was at Euro 2024. After doing so well in qualifying, the team just didn’t perform at the tournament despite the great support and all the optimism pre-Euros.

I recall standing at the team hotel in Garmisch-Partenkirchen as the squad were leaving, wondering where they would go from here.

Not covering Scotland allowed me to revert back to attending as a fan with my Dad, and looking at things in a different light from a different seat.

The Euros hangover saw Scotland lose their first three Nations League top-tier games despite being competitive in each. I was in Croatia for the Matchday three, after which you began to ask if we would win again.

A late VAR check denied us a draw in Zagreb. It was hard to stay positive, but the addition of Ben Gannon-Doak to the squad, a change in system (partly due to availability) and the form of Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay had the Tartan Army still believing.

A goalless draw against Portugal at Hampden Park, which saw then 41-year old Craig Gordon keep out Cristiano Ronaldo, proved Scotland could compete. Wins over Croatia and Poland gave the team a chance of staying in League A, if they could beat Greece over two legs in March.

It looked as if we could do that after winning the first leg in Athens that showed resilience, grit and a bit of luck to take a lead back to Glasgow. The return leg was a cause for concern. We were completely outplayed by an exciting Greek team losing 3-0, resulting in relegation to League B.

Another concern after that game at Hampden Park was the fact that Greece are in Scotland’s World Cup qualifying group. We have had a glimpse of how tough it will be. Scotland certainly were unlucky with the draw as Greece and Belarus were probably the toughest teams that could come out of their respective pots.

You should never write off Steve Clarke and his team. He has qualified for two European Championships and got Scotland into the top tier of the Nations League. We have had bumps in the road and he has always managed to bounce back.

His contract ends after the World Cup. By that point, he will have taken charge of more Scotland games than anyone else. He absolutely deserves the chance of taking Scotland to the World Cup.

Some may not agree with that, but I think he knows how international football works. He has an experienced squad with a sprinkling of younger players but be in no doubt, they will have to rediscover the form of Euro 2024 qualifying which saw them win their opening five games to have one foot in the finals before the business end of the section.

They inflicted Spain’s only defeat in the whole Euro 2024 campaign. Some will say that was peak Scotland under Steve Clarke.

He does have issues. The friendlies in June brought up more questions than answers. The defeat at home to Iceland did not do much for confidence and belief. The biggest issue to come from that match was the goalkeeping situation.

Craig Gordon was reintroduced during the Nations League campaign and his performances showed there is still life in the now 42-year old at international level, but it was never going to be a long-term fix and an injury means he is not in the squad.

Angus Gunn was injured early in the Iceland game and replaced by Kieran Slicker. Having watched the Ipswich goalkeeper perform well for the Under-21s, it was disappointing to see that he had a game to forget.

Gunn is back in the squad and now with Nottingham Forest, but not playing. Zander Clark has started the season as Hearts’ No 1 while Liam Kelly has only featured for Rangers in the League Cup.

Early in his tenure, Clarke switched to three at the back which has served Scotland well but looked aged during the Iceland game.

He deployed a back four in the Nations League, helped by Gannon Doak’s introduction further forward, is something he will be seriously considering for this campaign. With Andrew Robertson and Kieran Tierney among our top performers earlier in his reign, Clarke found a way to have them both in the team. That issue is not as pressing now. He will be more willing to pick one or the other if he opts for a back four.

Not only Gannon Doak has burst onto the scene but Hibernian’s Kieron Bowie. Blighted by a hamstring injury last season, he only made his Scotland senior debut in the friendly win over Liechtenstein in June. His performance for the Under-21s in the last campaign and Hibernian’s Europa League matches this season have shown the quality and potential he has. His goal at Easter Road against Partizan Belgrade is one of the best I have witnessed live in a stadium.

I mentioned McTominay, the Serie A winner goes from strength-to-strength with Napoli, aided by his team-mate and fellow countrymen Billy Gilmour. The fact Scotland have five players in the squad playing in Italy’s top flight shows the quality we have.

McTominay, like John McGinn in previous campaigns, is where Scotland will look for inspiration and goals.

Scotland finished second to Denmark in the last World Cup qualifying campaign although they did beat them 2-0 at Hampden Park back in 2021. There is a feeling that Scotland will need four points from a potential six in the opening two games to stand a chance.

This might be the last chance for some of the more experienced members of the squad to reach a World Cup. For Steve Clarke, it looks like his final campaign regardless. Hopefully we can rediscover our form and prove some of the doubters wrong.

Start as you mean to go on Scotland.

Scotland squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Zander Clark (Hearts), Angus Gunn (Nottingham Forest), Liam Kelly (Rangers).

Defenders: Grant Hanley (Hibernian), Jack Hendry (Al Etiffaq), Aaron Hickey (Brentford), Dominic Hyam (Blackburn Rovers), Max Johnston (Sturm Graz), Scott McKenna (Dinamo Zagreb), Anthony Ralston (Celtic), Andy Robertson (Liverpool), John Souttar (Rangers), Kieran Tierney (Celtic).

Midfielders: Ryan Christie (Bournemouth), Lewis Ferguson (Bologna), Ben Gannon Doak (Bournemouth), Billy Gilmour (Napoli), John McGinn (Aston Villa), Kenny McLean (Norwich), Scott McTominay (Napoli), Lennon Miller (Udinese).

Forwards: Che Adams (Torino), Kieron Bowie (Hibernian), Lyndon Dykes (Birmingham), George Hirst (Ipswich).

Scotland’s World Cup qualifiers

• Denmark (A) – September 5
• Belarus (A) – September 8
• Greece (H) – October 9
• Belarus (H) – October 12
• Greece (A) – November 15
• Denmark (H) – November 18