Odds still stacked against Scotland’s qualification

Will Scotland have to endure a new type of glorious failure? That’s my fear following the country’s draw in Poland in midweek.

It was a result that reflected well on everyone involved, players and coaches alike. Full of character and no little skill, it was another great performance to add to the growing list achieved under Gordon Strachan’s charge.

There were some great individual contributions.

James Morrison was absolutely outstanding in midfield. Too often damned with the faint praise that he is a “neat and tidy” player, he is, in fact, a top-quality international footballer. In Warsaw he married calmness with attacking intent in a way that was so impressive.

Shaun Maloney and Steven Naismith underlined their worth to the team by chipping in with goals.

Worthy of special praise, too, were Gordon Greer and Steven Whittaker, the two players drafted into the starting line-up. For Greer, a 33-year-old from Brighton and Hove Albion, to more than match Robert Lewandowski one of the continent’s top strikers was an exceptional effort.

Lewandowski’s claim that the defender should be punished retrospectively for the crunching tackle that snapped the Pole’s shinguard is just rubbish. The referee saw the incident and did nothing so no further action can be taken.

As for the Pole’s reported claim he might look for reprisals in the return fixture, I would have plenty of confidence Greer would be able to win that one.

However, as I mentioned at the outset, I am not so sure now that Scotland can win through in this group.

Poland’s surprise success over Germany, coupled with the Republic of Ireland’s late equaliser against the World Champions, have combined to leave us trailing the countries we view as our main rivals.

I think Gordon Strachan is 100% correct in his assertion that Germany will come back strongly. They have too much quality in their squad for that not to happen.

And that gives us a problem.

For having performed well in Dortmund yet taken nothing, we now effectively find ourselves in the position where we have to beat the Republic at Celtic Park next month. Which will be far from easy.

The Irish may not have been playing well but the way they clung on to beat Georgia and also to grab a draw against Germany points up real resilience.

The tightness of the group will ensure we are in for a fantastic occasion at Celtic Park on Friday, November 14. With the Tartan Army right behind the country’s efforts to qualify for Euro 2016 we can count on there being a tremendous atmosphere.

What we shouldn’t forget is that it is an environment which will be comfortably familiar to many of the visitors.

For the Republic’s manager Martin O’Neill, who led Celtic to so much success at the ground and for his assistant Roy Keane, who played there. Likewise for Roy’s namesake Robbie, who starred in the Hoops, hitting 16 goals for Celtic in a six-month loan spell in Scotland. And, of course, we can’t forget Aiden McGeady, another former Celt who is very much on the top of his game right now.

Beat the Irish and momentum will swing nicely back in our direction.

Lose, or arguably even draw, and one of the strongest sides the country has had in decades could be staring down the barrel.