Let's hold off on a knighthood for Steve Clarke until he makes up for the misery of two awful Euros by leading Scotland beyond the group stage at a World Cup

Fair play to Steve Clarke. It really does say something about the spirit he has fostered within his Scotland squad that they can be comprehensively outplayed in four games home and away against Denmark and Greece and still find the results to win a World Cup qualifying group and gift the nation a first finals appearance since 1998.

Nothing could ever take away the unbridled ecstasy of that 4-2 win over the Danes during the week. It is hard to believe anything could ever top it. Whatever the old game throws at us from now until Doomsday, we’ll always have Kenny McLean’s shot from the halfway line. And the small matter of Scott McTominay’s early, acrobatic intervention too, of course.

There’s just one thing, though. Can we hold off — for a bit, at least — on the calls for a knighthood for the current Scotland manager?

Taking the country back to three major tournaments after decades of drought has ensured Clarke’s time at the helm will be remembered fondly. He broke the curse. And that will always be on his record.

However, before we send him down to Buck House for the sword on the shoulder shenanigans, can’t we be selfish enough to ask for him to make up for all the pain and agony of Euros 2020 and 2024 by actually grasping the thistle in North America next summer and taking our international team onto a whole new level by getting beyond the groups?

It feels rather like playing the role of killjoy to point out that the general standard of Scotland’s play in the qualifying campaign just gone was dreadfully substandard. Amid the celebrations at Hampden midweek, it was a welcome exercise in keeping the feet on the ground to hear John McGinn admit the team was ‘rubbish’.

It has been that way for quite a long time now and it is disquieting ahead of finals in Canada, Mexico and the USA. Being honest, it felt like the time for this team to shine was the last Euros — and they blew it with a ghastly display in losing to Hungary in the final game of the section.

Certain influential guys are getting older. Others are struggling for game time at their clubs. Clarke has plenty to think about before the action gets underway next June and some serious answers to find. Getting this side back on track is going to be a test of his resolve and his abilities.

Yet, what an incentive lies ahead. The glass ceiling for Scotland remains the knockout stage of a finals and, if the manager can find a way to get these guys to rediscover the vim and vigour that led to the likes of that win over Spain at Hampden on the way to the last Euros, it is perfectly reasonable to think Scotland can get there.

It is a 48-team tournament next year. The top two countries in each of the 12 groups will qualify for the round of 32. And here’s the key bit. A whopping eight of the 12 third-placed teams will go through too.

That is surely within the grasp of this collection of players, whether they are quite as strong a collective as they were a couple of years back or not. It’s not too much, surely, to hope that Clarke can find a way to guide them into the business end of the tournament. We’re not asking for the impossible dream, are we?

Do that, do the country proud after the disappointments of those past outings on the big stage, and he can be the next king of Scotland if he wants.