Scotland qualifying for Euro 24 stress-free? It must be a dream - Vladimir McTavish

None of us can ever remember Scottish qualification for a major tournament being so stress-free. Indeed up until a couple of years ago, many younger people couldn’t even remember Scotland qualifying full-stop.

Up until the 2021 European Championships, the nation had endured a 23-year barren run. They had failed to reach five World Cups and five Euros, a total of ten tournaments in a row.

Every two years, our attempts had ended in disappointment after disappointment. The Tartan Army, and the country as a whole, had become used to disappointment, to the extent that we had turned disappointment into an art form.

It was widely believed that had there been a World Championship Of Disappointment, Scotland would probably have failed to qualify for that too.

Even when qualification was the norm, it was usually a nerve-shredding experience. We traditionally left it until deep into the second half of the final game of the qualifying group.

I’m old enough to remember the 1974 World Cup. We got there thanks to a late Joe Jordan winner against the Czechs. Four years later, Jordan won us a dodgy second-half penalty to help see off Wales and send the Scots to Argentina.

More recently, we reached the last Euros courtesy of a penalty shoot-out. Nail-biting or what ?

Next summer’s Euros will mark the 50th anniversary of that 1974 World Cup, which was also held in Germany. Coincidence or omen?

In 1974, Scotland ended up being the only unbeaten team in the competition, but were cruelly knocked out in the group stages despite not losing a game.

In that tournament, Scotland drew 0-0 against the holders Brazil. We should actually have won the game. Billy Bremner narrowly missed scoring with a shot just a fraction of an inch above the bar. As a result of which I got punched in the face.

I was watching the game in a Glasgow pub where the telly was on the wall above the gents’ lavvies. I was in the toilet when Bremner unleashed that shot, and I walked out straight into the fist of a wee old bloke who had jumped up and punched the air in excitement.

I hope the Euro 24 draw is kinder than at this year’s Rugby World Cup, where we ended up in the Group Of Death with South Africa and Ireland.

I also hope the fixtures fall on days and times when I can actually see the games, unlike with this year’s rugby where many matches have been played on Friday and Saturday evenings when I’m normally at work.

I actually took the evening off and turned down gigs to watch the Ireland game two weeks ago, only for Scotland to be dead and buried by half-time.

I’ll be eagerly looking forward to the draw for the Euros and planning my diary for June to fit with Scotland’s schedule.

I think we have a chance of doing well. But will I be making myself unavailable for the date of the final ? Probably not.