Euro 2024: 'Scotland making history would make memories of glorious failure can fade' (2024)

Published

22 June 2024

Walking out from behind the goal at Wembley and stepping on to the pitch, it felt like my biggest game in a Scotland shirt.

We lost the first leg of our Euro 2000 play-off with England 2-0 at Hampden, and on the way down to the return game in London, Craig Brown had given me the nod I was going to play.

It turned out to be another glorious failure for Scotland. We've had enough of them but these big moments live with you forever.

Now it's Steve Clarke's team who stand on the edge of something monumental, this time trying to become the first Scottish team to qualify from a group at a major tournament.

This could be our time to make history.

I was actually really, really disappointed not to get involved at Hampden when we lost 2-0 to England.

It was a tough watch warming up and not getting on, never mind then suffering the defeat.

When we got down there, I was on the pitch the night before and I just felt excited. It wasn't about nerves.

I can still vividly see the view walking out from behind the goals and lining up for the national anthem and thinking 'wow, this is what it's all about'.

We won 1-0 with big Don Hutchison scoring, but the memory of the deflation of going out and deserving to go through sticks with me.

We showed on the night we were more than good enough.

We were popping the ball about, there was no doubt in my mind we were going to get another one to put England out at Wembley.

I won man of the match, but it meant nothing at the time. It's nice to look back on now, but it felt hollow when we'd come up short as a team and a nation.

A few years later we then faced the Netherlands in another play-off game, this time we won 1-0 with that goal from James McFadden.

The Dutch team was was littered with world-class names.

We then prepared for the second game with one foot in the door, feeling we knew what we were up against.

Then we conceded early in Amsterdam before the Dutch went crazy and battered us 6-0.

That's why I've got sympathy for the current group of boys after the Germany game on the first match day.

I don't think we did ourselves justice in Amsterdam, like the team now didn't in Munich. It haunts you a little bit. It's embarassing.

I know we're better than what we've shown.

I can also remember the Germany game over here I scored in during that qualifying campaign. It was a really nasty match, albeit one of the best atmospheres I've experienced.

Berti Vogts, our coach, was going up against his fellow German Rudi Voller and we were aware of it.

There was a lot of needle and aggression, and that's not what the guys will face against Hungary.

The reaction the team gave us against Switzerland was absolutely superb and showed everyone what they're capable of.

To still be in the competition, I can only imagine what they're feeling like. It must be pretty special.

Going back to my time, we got battered by the Netherlands and that was us. You're done and you're festering.

This time, the boys got a chance to give a reaction almost immediately after the Germany game, and they did that.

I'm hoping there's still a bit of residual determination that what happened in Munich was an absolutely monster blip.

Andy Robertson spoke about fear before the Switzerland game. They don't need to be frightened.

This Hungary team are good, and they were good against Germany, but they're not Germany. And they're not, in my opinion, better than Scotland.

That should give them all the motivation that if we can play as we can, and get that slice of luck, we can qualify.

Neil McCann was speaking to BBC Sport Scotland's Scott Mullen

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