The future's bright, the future's tartan

Saturday was typical in the life of a Scotland football fan. As soon as you even start to get optimistic or hopeful about anything, the football world turns round and bites you quite hard on the rear end. However, there are two differences, I think, between this campaign and previous ones; firstly, Scots managed to put off even thinking we could make it until the very last moment - even after beating France twice feet remained as close to the ground as those of an elephant on Jupiter.

Secondly, and rather more importantly, we actually appear to have a young team which is still a few years from it's best.

Euro 2008 was the last chance, surely, for David Weir and Christian Dailly to play in a second major finals for Scotland, and for Graham Alexander to play in his first. But the rest of the squad seems some distance yet from retirement age. Only Paul Hartley is beyond 31, and he is now competing in an area where Darren Fletcher and Scott Brown look like first choice picks, and where captain Barry Ferguson has shocked us all by actually playing well in the dark blue for more than one match every three years.

In attack, the campaign saw James McFadden emerge with talismanic status. He could yet be our David Healy, twice the player when representing his country, and his ability to score and create goals, and his refusal to be overawed by playing against even the best is simply inspiring. Kenny Miller is still a man for the big occasion, and in Kris Boyd we finally have a striker who looks like he can put diddy teams (if there is still such a thing at international level) to the sword with his predatory instincts.

But note the one thing our squad's three veterans have in common; they're all defenders. And that's where Scotland are still a distance behind most of the sides that did qualify. The exceptions are, of course, Craig Gordon, now the best British goalkeeper without a doubt, and - a year ago I would never believe for a second that I would say this - Alan Hutton, who is has simply come forward leaps and bounds. He has everything you want from a full-back - he's strong, fast, good in the tackle, good in the air, yet also comfortable with the ball at his feet and running at players. If only we had another Hutton on the opposite flank, but Gary Naysmith is some way away from his best form, and Jay McEveley, though young, is not quite up to the standard yet. And centre-half is the biggest conundrum of the lot. David Weir's long term replacement needs to be much more mobile, for, while Stephen McManus is as strong as a lion, he has the turning circle of a panda. And pacy forwards remain our achilles heel. Who's the answer? Gary Caldwell has been tried and found wanting, while club mate John Kennedy is simply a clone of McManus. The big hope has to be that Andy Webster finally overcomes his injury woes.

Whoever heard of a Scotland fan being optimistic after a defeat? Stranger things have happened, I suppose.

L.