Out with a bang

By Chick Young BBC Scotland football correspondent

At least we went down with all guns blazing. Just a pity that for most of the campaign we were using water pistols.

Over 90 finals minutes of the World Cup campaign in the quaintly named Petrol Arena Scotland were, admittedly, high octane. It's just that four days earlier the tank had been arid dry.

Slovenia were dismantled, dissected and dispensed with in a flourish peppered with three of the finest goals I have ever seen a Scotland team produce.

Scotland scored three great goals in Slovenia

And yet in the traditional Scottish way it was too little too late. A wee party on the dockside after the ship had sailed. A sausage roll and a wee cup of tea after the Lord Mayor's show.

It will be nearly a year before we play a meaningful match. Another World Cup passes us by.

A decade - at best - of banishment from major finals. And this from a nation who qualified for five on the bounce.

A generation of Scots grew up just assuming it was our birthright to play in the greatest show on earth.

Now I feel like Great Uncle Chico telling the kids fairy stories of how it used to be once upon a time.

But the wailing and gnashing of teeth has been ridiculous.

One headline screamed for the decapitation of David Taylor as if the SFA chief executive had been personally responsible for blowing open goals along the way.

Another crackpot columnist apparently wanted Walter Smith to walk the plank.

Aye right enough, a dodgy 45 minutes amid a heroic attempt to salvage a World Cup voyage which was heading for the rocks from the moment another manager lost to Norway at Hampden... that's well worth a keel hauling.

The real truth is that Great Uncle Walter has done a remarkable job.

Regular readers of this column will know that I never believed he had any chance of piecing together Berti Vogts' shattered campaign.

The damage was too severe and in truth there was no risk to my physical well being when I promised that I would ride a bike to Germany if Scotland made it to the finals.

Scottish clubs have not fared well in Europe

There is something dreadfully wrong with the set-up in Scotland.

We cannot make an impact in European club competition and we cannot succeed at international level and yet we keep raving about how wonderful is our domestic league.

Competitive? Yes. But levelling up or levelling down?

I suggest our current track record from Bratislava to Finland to Ukraine to Moldova might give us a clue.

At international level Hampden used to be a fortress. Now it is about as intimidating as a Tupperware party.

And however thrillingly wonderful that night in Celje was - and yes I broke into thunderous applause at every glorious goal - it was just a wee flirtation.

And we can't go on meeting like this.

Slovenia was wonderful. But the times of one night stands have to end. Scotland needs a lasting relationship with the beautiful game.