Scotland have not been to a major tournament since the 1998
World Cup but that drought will end if they can upset Serbia
Steve Clarke – the man to make a nation smile. In a sense this sums up the addictively ridiculous nature of
Football. Clarke plays on this to a heavy degree yet it is impossible to imagine this canny, dour Ayrshireman as the life and soul of any party. But in Belgrade on Thursday, Clarke has it in his gift to send
Scotland supporters back to the major championship blowout they could once set their calendars by.
Those days are past now. Little could the Scots have known before the opening game of the 1998 World Cup that a subsequent hiatus from finals would stretch to at least 23 years. Until now, the expansion of the European Championship has done nothing to help Scotland, who last featured on that stage in
England 24 years ago. At international level, Scotland regressed into one of the “diddy nations” they once derided. There has been only self-deprecating humour and chuckling at the shortcomings of England to pass the time, both of which seemed to lose
comedy value long ago. Euro 2016 served as an especially bruising experience as
Northern Ireland, Wales and the Republic of
Ireland qualified (as did Albania) while Scotland were confined to barracks. The delayed 2020 version, which is due to include games in Glasgow and a group stage match against England, would be a better place for Scotland’s involvement. They are close to something significant. Beat Serbia and that long, painful wait is over.