Scotland hit by World Cup media surge as national team avoids deathless scenario

Not even PT Barnum could talk up this friendly between two World Cup play-off losers. It won’t be the night that Craig Bellamy and Michael O’Neill, managers of Wales and Northern Ireland respectively, were envisaging. “I’ve been there,” a sympathetic Steve Clarke mused on Friday. “We’ve been there."

The thoughts were extended to Heimir Hallgrimsson, whose Republic of Ireland side also lost, on penalties in Czechia. “I understand how Heimir, Craig and Michael feel,” continued the Scotland manager. “And I know Craig and Michael quite well. I feel for them because I know how much they will be hurting, as I was in the same position.”

The Tartan Army will have recognised the anguish on the faces of Wales fans as they saw their World Cup hopes, which had been pulsing with such vibrancy as they sought to close out the game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, fade so dramatically following Edin Dzeko’s late equaliser. At half time of all three fixtures involving teams from the British Isles, the possibility of all four UK sides plus Republic of Ireland qualifying remained strong. Wales were up in their match, and the Republic of Ireland were 2-1 in front in Prague. Over in Bergamo, Northern Ireland were holding Italy.

By the end of the night, however, devastation had fallen over all three Celtic nations, via the extra sting of penalties in the case of Wales and Republic of Ireland. It was a salient reminder - not that Scotland needs one—that qualifying for World Cups is hard. Only twice, in Switzerland in 1954 and at France '98, have the auld enemies of Scotland and England been the sole representatives from the British Isles. To amend slightly the words of an old World Cup song: Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland cannae do it, cause they didnae qualify.

The spotlight will be fiercer because of this, agreed Clarke. Scotland are already feeling the heat, in a good way. Nevertheless, some irritation was still discernible on Clarke’s part. “It has been quite a strange week,” he reflected. “We’ve had to do a lot of commercial bits and pieces, which we are trying to get out of the way in March so that it’s not affecting us when we’re over in America preparing for the tournament.”

Clarke might be itching to get out there on the training pitch, but he will recognise that posing for photographs for sticker books and such like is better than not having your mug in World Cup sticker books. It’s better than being, well, Wales and Northern Ireland, who are slouching towards Cardiff for a friendly that contrasts sharply with their high stakes last 16 meeting in Paris at Euro 2016 shortly after the Brexit vote. On that occasion Scotland looked in from the outside with longing eyes.

Now it’s the Tartan Army who are preparing to sing songs about never wanting to go home, the Welsh fans’ anthem at the Euros in France. They will be in good voice as soon as Saturday afternoon against Japan. Hampden is preparing to host a very different friendly to the one that will take place in Cardiff.

Japanese media influx at Hampden

Nearly 100 visiting media representatives—broadcast, print and photographers - have been accredited. It was standing room only when Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu conducted his pre-match press conference at the cavernous Hampden auditorium. It was hard to resist the urge to say, ‘all right, calm down you lot, we’re the ones who haven’t qualified since 1998’. Japan are perennial qualifiers in modern times. They have been at the last seven World Cups, including the time they co-hosted with South Korea in 2002. This ought to be business as usual for them.

Clarke was taken aback by the swollen number of media attending the open section of pre-match training on Friday. “Obviously our friends from Japan have a massive interest,” he said. “It shows the power of football worldwide. As I have said before, I have never been involved in a World Cup before. I can’t wait to get there.”

The Scots and Japanese are in the same club. The qualified club. They are safely inside the velvet ropes. No hulking doorman is shooting out a hand in front of them and saying, ‘not tonight, pal’. Northern Ireland, Wales and even poor old New Caledonia, beaten 1-0 by Jamaica in the intercontinental semi-final play-off in the early hours of Friday morning, are having to find something else to do this summer.

Clarke provided a glimpse of the Scotland HQ as they followed all the games on Thursday night. He and his coaches were experiencing the opposite of FOMO. DOMO? Delight of missing out.

“It was me and the staff, mainly,” he said. “The players actually have a little spa session routine they go through every night. Towards the end of the 90 minutes, quite a lot of them came out of the spa in their dressing gowns and flip flops and watched the end of the games. And when it went to extra-time, most of them disappeared up to their rooms because they’re all good professionals.”

Not everyone can rest easy. Although Scotland are assured of their place at the World Cup, individual players are not, hence the Japan game and Tuesday's trip to face Ivory Coast in Liverpool. Some are more on the plane than others. Scott McTominay knows he's in with the bricks, fitness permitting. Scotland have been training at Lesser Hampden within sight of the recently completed huge mural of the Napoli star. A nearly 40-foot-high depiction of him connecting with the ball above the heads of Danish defenders to set Scotland on the way to qualification has been daubed on the gable end of a tenement block. It’s another example of what the World Cup means.

“The first thing I thought about it was, what happened to the Danish players?!" Clarke said when asked for his take on the artwork, which McTominay himself saw for the first time this week. “Because there were no Danish players in it! When you see the actual shot, there were some Danish players in the picture.

"Listen, whoever did that has done a fantastic job. It’s an absolute standout, something that grabs your attention. It shows that it was a special goal, a special moment and it’s nice that it’s up there for everyone to see. All the boys came out and had a good look at it and obviously Scott’s chuffed that it’s up there.”