Kelts, KS and Kieren Tierney – 28-year madness in Scotland finally makes perfect sense | football

“It was your fault,” I snapped at my coworker. “You and your Kansas City.” Who do you think, Dorothy Gale?

When Scotland conceded a late draw to Denmark that seemed to end our hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, that was who I decided to blame.

Yes, the man responsible for our ordeal was a friend of mine, who I thought had “messed with us” when he had previously absent-mindedly commented that if we were to travel to the US, he would choose Kansas over Los Angeles or New York.

Neither the defenders who didn’t clear their lines properly, nor the midfielders who didn’t get close to Patrick Durgo, nor coach Steve Clarke, who is often criticized for being too cautious.

This is the double logic, lack of reason and complete cosmic stupidity of supporting Scotland. After an absence of almost 30 years from the World Cup, we will resort to all sorts of explanations and cling to all sorts of myths.

Before, I would insist on watching matches with certain people, in certain places, trying to recreate any semblance of success.

I spent the afternoon tormented on the fence before an important qualifying match, torn between wearing a pair of boxers I considered lucky, and impersonating a real Scottish commando. In the end, I really think I did half of each.

But it didn’t work. Of course it didn’t work. Because it never happens to Scotland.

Not when it comes to the World Cup. It’s always great failures, bad luck, referee decisions, selection errors. Wrong choice of underwear. It always seems like something, anything, is holding us back from reaching that big milestone.

Until last night. Last night was another.

Because while much of last night (the self-defeating tactics, the moments of madness, the nerve-wracking complexity) seemed like the same old Scotland, most of it wasn’t.

That’s what made this game, this reaction, and this group of players so special.

For years, we’ve been a team that’s had those big moments, those game-changing events you We are now the team that imposes it on others.

We don’t score last-minute goals to get to the World Cup, we admit it. We don’t put pressure on the middle goalkeepers, we watch our goalkeeper hit those goals from the net.

It seems like there’s always something, something, keeping us from reaching that big milestone – until last night

We don’t have Ballon d’Or candidates burying headers, we see other players doing it and wonder why we don’t find that talent.

This is no longer the case – it is now ordinary Scotland, especially, surprisingly, inexplicably interesting.

Some of my earliest football memories go back to the last time Scotland qualified for the 98 World Cup in France.

When I was just seven years old, I still remember traveling from Hull in the cold at night, cheering on Craig Burley’s amazing goal against Norway, and dancing with the Cameroon fans in Nantes.

I loved sharing these memories, but as the years passed behind me and before me, as close memories and disappointments filled in, they grew on me.

I’m tired of the constant failures, and I’m starting to sound like a cranky doctor from a cheesy movie – telling the next generation “You don’t belong there, dude!” You don’t know what it was like!

And there was one unfortunate failure – in standard Scottish fashion, it wasn’t the games against the big nations that consumed us, or endured it.

Among the dark sights in my mind are draws against Moldova, Lithuania and Macedonia. Beat Wales, Slovakia and Georgia.

But for a new generation, watching the Scottish national team moments will be considered a time of delicious joy, not sad regret.

Instead of encouragement as mentioned which Iwulemo miss, or which Armstrong v England removed, we can smile as we remember which Awesome McTomini which Maclean’s End, which An interview with Andy Robertson that didn’t leave a dry eye in the house.

There is a feeling that this may be the beginning of the journey, not the end of the journey. Scotland returned to major tournaments in 2020 and 2024, quickly crashing out of the competition on both occasions.

“No Scotland, no party” wasn’t the battle cry at the last two European Championships, but it’s still sad that partying is the only thing we’ve been able to do successfully.

As the World Cup expands and smaller teams like Haiti and England reach the summit, there is a sense that we can go further than we have achieved.

I was in Germany and London during those two tournaments, and despite having a huge fear of flying, I hope to go to North America as well.

I always thought I would cure my flying phobia once I settled down and found a partner – I often tell people that I will eventually find someone who loves me enough to take me on a plane.

It turns out that someone was Kieran Tierney.

Things went our way last night, we left the Danes to curse their luck, and turned the page on 28 years of pain.

For once, the stars have aligned, Jinx hasn’t affected us, and this utter cosmic stupidity looks like galactic intelligence.

I can’t wait for next year – but to be safe, I might skip Kansas State.

Do you have a story you want to share? Contact us [email protected].

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

MORE: Scotland star banned from celebrating in World Cup dressing room after Denmark win

MORE: England governor ‘in tears’ with Broly and resigns after Jamaica suffers World Cup heartbreak

MORE: Mother’s chilling warning after 11-year-old’s drug-related death: ‘You have blood on your hands’