How have Scotland not qualified for a World Cup since 1998?
Though, for all the headline may read two Euros achieved, there’s been some seriously rocky moments over the past few years.
In those six games across both Euros, Scotland never – with perhaps a slight claim against Switzerland last summer – looked deserving of winning any of them. The goal difference reads 12-3 against.
However, it’s the landscape across the piece that offers a note of caution before stepping into World Cup qualifying against the Danes on Friday.
After a heroic start to Euro 2024 qualification where Spain and Norway were put away, a run then began of just one win in 16. And that came against Gibraltar.
Thankfully, that run has been arrested with only two defeats from their past seven as Scotland sling shot into this seismic campaign. But this team’s habit of switching on and off their mojo – most notably in the World Cup play-off against Ukraine in 2022 – will offer a sense of trepidation for those fans gathering in Copenhagen.
Toppling the Danes will need a heroic effort from whoever Clarke selects, and with such a short qualification period, you feel even at this stage of game one, some sort of positive result could be pivotal.
But it’s not beyond them. This team silenced the Norwegians in Oslo, suckered the Spanish at Hampden and triumphed in Poland. It could be done again. At his disposal, Clarke has a plethora of talent. From Ballon d’Or nominee Scott McTominay to Serie A captain Lewis Ferguson to Champions League winner and Scotland skipper Andy Robertson. Key players such as the Liverpool left-back and John McGinn may be seeing this as their last opportunity to grace the biggest stage of all.
It’s a collective rich with experience and heart, which now has a sprinkling of youthful zeal in the form of Gannon-Doak, Johnston, Udinese’s Lennon Miller and Hibernian hot shot Kieron Bowie.
In Copenhagen on Friday evening, the Scotland of the here and now has the chance to lay a huge marker for the future. In doing so, the ghosts of six campaigns lost could finally be laid to rest.