Former Scotland manager Craig Brown believes the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 is a realistic target for current boss Steve Clarke and his players.
Clarke and the national team arrived at their base in north-east England last night to prepare for their opening game of the tournament against the Czech Republic at Hampden on Monday.
The championship will be Scotland’s first major tournament finals appearance since Brown led the nation to the World Cup finals in France in 1998 and the former Scotland boss believes a similar feat to that of the Wales squad which reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016 is not beyond Clarke’s men.
Speaking to the Northern Goal, the football podcast from the Press and Journal and Evening Express, he said: “There are 24 teams in this competition and 16 get out the group.
“People are getting excited and rightfully so. Even in my time you had to qualify to get to the last 16 at Euro 96.
“There is great determination. I am not thinking of Scotland in this context of getting to the last 16 or last eight. I’m thinking of them getting to the last four or the last two and I genuinely and sincerely believe there is a chance of it the way the team is playing and the way it is managed.
“Everything in the garden is rosy and very positive towards success in this tournament.
“It’s a mistaken notion to think we can get to the playoff stage for the first time as Andy (Roxburgh) was there in 1992 and we officially finished fifth.
“Quite rightly we want to look forward and I genuinely and sincerely believe the last eight is a clear possibility.”
Brown has rarely shied away from talking up the national team and he believes the manner in which the squad dealt with being without several players due a Covid scare in the camp shows the quality and depth of the squad Clarke has at his disposal for Scotland’s first appearance in a major tournament in 23 years.
He said: “Steve has had to deal with the pandemic and that is quite an issue. We’ve seen that with John Fleck having to isolate and six other players.
“The strength of the squad was confirmed because without these players we played exceptionally against the Netherlands who are no pushovers. Credit to Steve for having a squad which can cope with such an unfortunate incident.
“There is still the possibility of things like that happening, hopefully not to Scotland, but I think we have provision within the squad to cope.”