'scotland's Shackles Of Past Must Be Shaken In World Cup Pursuit'

World Cup qualifying Group C: Scotland v Denmark

Venue: Hampden Park, Glasgow Date: Tuesday, 18 November Kick-off: 19:45 GMT

Coverage: Watch connected BBC Scotland, BBC Two & iPlayer, perceive connected BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Nan Gaidheal & Sounds, unrecorded matter commentary connected nan BBC Sport website & app

The load of history is everyplace you look.

Hampden Park, Glasgow. A footballing mausoleum of memories and moments, some awe inspiring and harrowing.

Walls of nan spot transportation nan tone of nan greats. Sir Kenny Dalglish dancing done defences, Denis Law pinch his arms aloft, a photograph of James McFadden pinch a shot hanging successful nan Parisian aerial pinch a bamboozled Mickaal Landreau location successful nan distance.

Take a locomotion deeper inside, nan wide vessel of nan nationalist stadium opens up. Once a actual cathedral which held nan hopes of teams and fans mounting disconnected pinch dreams of really trying to triumph a World Cup. Now, lying heavy and still nether nan screen of integrative seats, nan cavernous emptiness of nan spot mirrors nan void near since it's modern reincarnation successful nan precocious 1990s.

Not since earlier Hampden's redevelopment has Scotland earned nan correct to spell to a World Cup. The past clip it was achieved, a thigh of honour took spot astir a partially built Celtic Park.

History. That's what Scotland has erstwhile it comes to nan top shape of all.

History. And now a pang of hope.

To nan uninitiated, signs of stars aligning are location successful nan crisp Glaswegian sky.

Scotland person tripped, stumbled and stuttered their measurement done this run pinch each nan poise of a sumo wrestler connected Strictly, but person managed to carve retired affirmative results.

They survived a first-half onslaught successful Copenhagen to gain a valuable point. Battered astatine location by Greece? Somehow Steve Clarke's broadside claimed victory. They made difficult activity of it, but Belarus were beaten twice, too.

Even successful chaotic conclusion successful Athens connected Saturday, Scotland were rescued arsenic Denmark inexplicably were held by Belarus, meaning a Scottish triumph coming and immortality - - and a World Cup spot - is theirs.

Yet, this Scotland teams are masters of nan acheronian arts of unpredictability. For astir of nan time, you're conscionable not judge what you're going to get.

For a support who adore their shot squad much than they emotion scudding washing up liquid into fountains crossed nan globe, location is nary room for sentiment here.

Romance has been eroded distant for nan Tartan Army. Nothing is written successful nan stars for Scotland.

Through nan history of nan nation's shot team, location person been moments wherever you'd deliberation nan footballing gods would opportunity "they've suffered enough, let's springiness them a break".

Going retired of nan 1974 World Cup without losing a game. Exiting Euro '96 successful nan cruelest fashion. Losing to Brazil by an ain goal, only to get backmost into France '98 to past get horsed by Morocco. Beating England astatine Wembley, but not by enough, nan pursuing twelvemonth successful a European Championship play-off.

You past person nan much caller examples of trauma successful really getting to 2 Euros, only to choke successful nan first game, get a reliable tie successful nan 2nd to support it alive, to past make a hash of it successful matchday 3.

All of nan supra should supply a wellness informing nan size of nan Queensferry Crossing for each who descend connected Hampden Park connected Tuesday.

That successful itself is simply a back-handed compliment to Clarke, who has hauled Scotland retired of world exile to beryllium wrong rubbing region of going to USA, Canada and Mexico adjacent summer.

Since nan precocious and magnificent Craig Brown trudged disconnected nan parkland successful St Etienne successful nan summertime of 98, six different Scotland managers person tried and grounded to get nan federation to awesome tournament.

Play-offs came and went. So excessively did nan world careers of galore players who deserved more.

Then came Clarke successful 2019. The messiah of Kilmarnock took nan nationalist squad from losing successful Kazakhstan to back-to-back Euros. He did truthful pinch a blend of Brown's hard-to-beat mantra, an emerging harvest of talent and a dollop of landmark results.

Spain beaten astatine Hampden. Norway turned complete successful their ain backmost yard. Serbia outdone connected penalties 5 years ago. Croatia upstaged successful Glasgow.

Scott McTominay, John McGinn, Billy Gilmour, Andy Robertson. Some aged and immoderate new, but players pinch reputations and pedigrees to lucifer who person helped haul Scotland from nan shadows of irrelevance into nan spotlight.

That ascension has brought scrutiny. Some of it harsh, immoderate of it deserved.

In nan 2022 play-off semi-final against Ukraine, Clarke's squad disintegrated connected an occasion, conscionable for illustration this one, that meant truthful much.

Two Euros person drifted by without a mitt having been laid connected immoderate of their opponents. Just 3 goals were scored crossed six games.

These examples guidelines arsenic warnings of nan past, but they should beryllium utilized arsenic motivators for nan present and now. As if immoderate were needed.

The civilized of each of this is that Scotland person truthful often grounded to grasp nan opportunity that they've clawed retired for themselves. The infinitesimal has slipped away.

On Tuesday, this group has nan chance to scope a World Cup. No strings, nary what ifs.

Denmark person been astatine 5 of nan past 7 World Cups but, conscionable for illustration their hosts, vulnerability is lurking. There is simply a weakness which was exposed by nan Belorussians which needs ruthlessly pounced upon. Conversely, signs of an strength successful Scotland's second-half show successful Greece surely must beryllium replicated from nan commencement successful Glasgow.

There is an overwhelming consciousness that Scotland's destiny connected Tuesday does not dangle connected what nan useful Danes do, but what Clarke's squad tin conjure up and rouse from wrong themselves.

The value is there. The inducement is there. The opportunity is there.

We are astir to find retired if nan courageousness to return it is there.