It has been another deflating, depressing, demoralising week to be a Scotland football supporter so my profuse apologies for adding to the misery which has enveloped the country in the wake of the World Cup defeat Brazil by raising an unthinkable prospect.
Could the national team’s participation in the tournament finals over in the United States during the past fortnight be as good as it gets for them as well as their marvellous followers?
Those Tartan Army footsoldiers who watched Steve Clarke’s men labour to an unconvincing win over Haiti, gift Morocco victory and then struggle to cope with the class of Brazil in their Group C outings would maybe take issue with their involvement Stateside being described as “good”.
This World Cup has, on the field of play anyway, been a desperately disappointing one for Scotland.
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Hope sprang eternal as the kilt-wearing, bagpipe-playing, Yes Sir, I Can Boogie-singing hordes flew across the Atlantic.
Optimism that Ben Gannon-Doak, John McGinn, Scott McTominay, Andy Robertson and Kieran Tierney, quality footballers who been involved in victories over formidable rivals like Spain, Croatia and Denmark in recent seasons, could secure a place in the knockout rounds for the first time ever, abounded in the bars of Boston and Miami. They all failed to deliver.
Could, though, getting through to their first finals in 28 long years be an achievement which they will prove unable to replicate in the seasons to come? Alas, that is a very real possibility.
This is the best crop of players this nation has had in a long time. It is not being at all hyperbolic to describe it as a golden generation. But many of the mainstays are approaching the end of their careers. The average age of the squad in America was over 29. Only six of the 48 competing nations were older.
The eye-catching displays of Lionel Messi, 39, Luka Modric, 40, and Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, at the World Cup have underlined that dedicated professionals can continue at a high level well into their fourth decade and even into their fifth decade in the modern era.
But some Scots are sure to retire from the international game this summer and focus their energies on doing well for their clubs going forward. Will Craig Gordon, Grant Hanley, Kenny McLean and Tierney choose to persevere?
Others will continue in the hope they will be able to juggle commitments and play to a decent standard. But how much longer will Che Adams, Ryan Christie, Lyndon Dykes, John McGinn and Robertson be able to reproduce the sort of form they have shown in a dark blue jersey the past?
Having to bring through youngsters who are able to hold their own in the international arena has always been a priority for national team managers and Clarke has shown he is not averse to gambling on youth if he thinks they have the requisite ability and mentality.
He has had no qualms about calling up and playing the likes of Connor Barron, Kieron Bowie, Tommy Conway, Findlay Curtis, Josh Doig, Tyler Fletcher, Gannon-Doak, Billy Gilmour, Luke Graham, Max Johnston, Lennon Miller, Josh Mulligan, Nathan Patterson, Ryan Porteous and James Wilson during his seven year tenure.
But he has had players who have won the Coppa Italia, Premier League, the FA Cup, Serie A, the Europa League and the Champions League at his disposal during previous qualifying campaigns.
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Napoli midfielder McTominay became, not that you would have thought it if you had seen him against Haiti, Morrocco or Brazil, the first Scot to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or since Ally McCoist in 1987 last year.
Is there anyone coming through who is capable of scaling such heights? Maybe, maybe not.
In Bowie, Doig, Lewis Ferguson, Gilmour, Aaron Hickey and Miller he has six guys aged 25 or under who have plied or are currently plying their trade in the top flight in Italy. Gannon-Doak is a potential superstar. They will play on for many more years and win a lot more caps. But there are no guarantees they will be able to emulate their predecessors.
There is much debate just now about whether Clarke, who signed a four year contract extension with the SFA last month, should be allowed to continue in his role. His charges managed to get just seven shots on target during 270 minutes of football so it is understandable. Fans are fed up with his defensive, tentative, often toothless style of play.
But the other discussion which is taking place about how Scotland can bring through more technically-gifted, athletic, physically imposing, intelligent players is far more important. The Cooperation System which the SFA proposed and the SPFL clubs approved last season should hopefully result in more kids making the step up into the senior game in the years ahead.
“I quite like the idea,” said Clarke before the warm-up friendly against Curacao last month. “I think it’s worked quite well and has improved the situation. I would like to see more of younger players and more clubs use it. We have to give boys an earlier taste of tournament football. It’s something we have to get better at and work on.” It will not, though, happen overnight. More, far more, still needs to be done.
There will be a steely determination within the Scotland camp to put the whole sorry World Cup debacle firmly behind them when they return to action in late September and early October to face Slovenia, Switzerland and North Macedonia in the Nations League. Clarke oversaw improved performances after Euro 2020 and Euro 2024.
It will be hard to not qualify for Euro 2028 finals, which Scotland will co-host with England, the Republic of Ireland and Wales. But is a place at the 2030 World Cup really a realistic objective? Things may well get worse before they get better. These finals may turn out to be as good as it gets.
