Oh Eck...
Yup, it's quite possible that the most recent qualifying campaign has indeed been our worst of the last thirty years. For a start, it felt like it was over after only 10 minutes, with a shambolic Scotland two goals down in Kazakhstan. I'm not the only one who has heard stories about the 'preparations', with Graeme Shinnie playing left-back for the first time in forever and rumours that the pre-match team talk focussed on stopping a Kazakh who wasn't actually playing. One day I suspect it might all come out.
Certainly the SFA were unusually decisive in punting him after just two games. But any hopes that Oli Burke's late winner against Cyprus in Steve Clarke's game would be a launchpad were dashed. An admittedly awesome Belgium dispatched us 3-0 on their patch and 4-0 on ours. Russia at home was the last chance saloon but after a lightning start we seemed to wilt after taking the lead and were bullied into defeat. The return game was yet another annihilation.
Were there any positives to take from this? Well, there were seven John McGinn goals. And there was the home win over San Marino, not so much for the result as for the spectacle of trying to play in a swamp.
And yet, incredibly, the Nations League Playoffs still leave Scotland a chance of getting to the party next summer...
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