Ally McCoist scored 19 goals in 61 appearances for Scotland so this is a man who knows a thing or two about operating at the business end of international football.
The former Rangers player and manager has winced with the rest of the nation at the lack of striking talent a succession of Scotland bosses have had to work with in recent years and at the subsequent failure to reach any of the last five World Cups.
In fact, qualification for the Euros last summer was Scotland’s first major tournament of any note since 1998 and McCoist prays that the three matches played by Steve Clarke’s team against the Czech Republic, England and Croatia were a signal of much better days to come.
