WE'LL TRAVEL IN HOPE

SCOTLAND will not win the World Cup.

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I give you that cast-iron guarantee on the basis of commonsense, rationality and 67 years of watching the national team play in that competition.

But who cares? I remain firmly of the conviction that the manner of our qualification was so memorably dramatic that it took satisfaction to an unprecedented level.

Enough to understand that a repeat performance against Brazil or Morocco in the United States is highly unlikely this side of divine intervention.