Nine weeks on from an absolutely miserable night in Stuttgart, the country is still trying to come to terms with the way Scotland exited the Euros.
With qualification for Germany secured so early, there was justifiable faith that Steve Clarke’s side could go where no other in dark blue had gone before.
It wasn’t just the fact that the glass ceiling leading into the knockout stages remained intact. What irked the huge travelling fan base more than anything was the manner in which Scotland were eliminated.
An opening-night humiliation against hosts Germany preceded a decent point against the Swiss to set the stage for a must-win game against Hungary.
Scotland attacked their final group opponents with all the fervour of a mouse. Clarke pointed the finger at Argentine referee Facundo Tello when the only person to blame for a foolish and conservative performance was himself.
As he prepares to name his squad for the upcoming Nations League matches against Poland and Portugal, he will surely appreciate that he first has to address the herd of elephants in the room.
Steve Clarke to speak for first time since Euro 2019 as he names his Scotland squad
Che Adams’ immediate impact at Torino strengthens his chances of becoming a starting striker
McTominay and Gilmour could soon be running Napoli’s midfield if Antonio Conte gets his way
He doesn’t owe anyone an apology for what happened, but it is up to him to offer a better explanation than the one we heard in Germany. Recognizing that he made a lot of mistakes and that he decided to learn from his mistakes would be a good starting point.
He has no problems to look for. Callum McGregor has retired, Kieran Tierney and Lewis Ferguson are still injured and Aaron Hickey has not touched the ball for Brentford since last October.
Stuart Armstrong and Ryan Jack are out of clubs. QPR don’t seem to want Lyndon Dykes.
Could it be, however, that the seeds of a renaissance for the national team lie in the very country that saw the birth of the great social changes of the same name seen across Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries?
Serie A, a place where Scottish footballers were as rare as objects in the great Italian museums, could soon be awash with players who will have a desire to appear for Clarke at the 2026 World Cup.
With Bologna having already provided a happy home for Hickey before his move to Brentford, Ferguson helped guide the same club to the Champions League.
Lewis Ferguson was named in the Serie A team of the year after an impressive season at Bologna
Josh Doig played for Sassuolo and Liam Henderson excelled for Empoli, the fifth club the former Celtic and Hibs player has played for in Italy. Che Adams’ move from Southampton to Torino this summer has been a huge success, with the striker scoring a goal and providing an assist against Atalanta at the weekend in just his second league appearance.
Doig, whose side were relegated last year, is now tipped to join him in Turin.
But while the thought of seeing Adams’ game improve by pitting his wits against Italy’s best defenders might even force the normally taciturn Clarke to smile, the more intriguing scenario arises from the story unfolding in the south of the country.
Newly installed as Napoli manager, Antonio Conte wants Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay (pictured left) as he looks to regain the title the club won for the first time in a generation in 2023.
The £25.4m deal to take McTominay from Old Trafford, the only club he has ever known, is believed to have already been finalised.
While there is still work to be done before securing Gilmour in a move worth an initial £12million, Il Partenopei are confident it will happen.
Hickey enjoyed great success during his time at Bologna before signing for Brentford.
The confirmation of Matt O’Riley’s £26m move from Celtic has removed one of the obstacles.
Such a change would be a positive for the Scotland manager. It is one thing to have players who play in the English Premier League, but having Gilmour and McTominay bring greater knowledge of each other’s games to the Scotland camps would be an advantage that no one expected.
The fact is that Scottish footballers tend to do well in Italy. While Denis Law’s experience with Torino was mixed, Joe Jordan and Graeme Souness thrived at AC Milan and Sampdoria respectively.
Remarkably, it took 30 years for another Scot to succeed Souness. Henderson’s move to Bari saw him initially play in Serie B, but he soon made his mark in the top flight with Verona and played for Lecce and Palermo before joining Empoli.
On Saturday, he played in every match in his team’s 2-1 win over Roma in the capital. The 28-year-old is still in time for his first senior cap.
Henderson plays for his FIFTH Italian club and helped defeat Dybala and Roma last weekend.
Ferguson’s success came earlier. He joined Bologna in 2022 after four years at Aberdeen, scoring seven goals in his first campaign and finishing ninth.
He reached new heights last season. After being named captain, he became the highest-scoring Scot in Serie A history, and Bologna secured qualification for the Champions League.
Despite suffering a knee injury in April that ruled him out of the Euros, he was named in the top-flight team of the season and even won the Bulgarelli No8 Award, a title given to the best midfielder of the calendar year, and which counts Xavi, Andrea Pirlo, Paul Pogba and Andres Iniesta among its past recipients.
Juventus and Milan have taken note of the progress of the Hamilton-born star.
Unfortunate injury aside, Ferguson would recommend the experience to anyone.
“I adapted pretty quickly here,” said the 25-year-old. “I lived in a beautiful city, with good people, good weather, good food and a great club and, last year, I played the best football of my career.
Graeme Souness made his mark on Italian football and Napoli icon Diego Maradona in the 1980s
“When you’re happy, you play well.”
Although the Scots’ previous successes in embracing the Dolce Vita would guarantee nothing for Gilmour and McTominay, one could be sure that a change of environment would be beneficial to their careers.
At 23 and 27 respectively, they are no longer children. Gilmour left Rangers as a teenager, trained at Chelsea, struggled for his talent at Norwich and has flourished on the south coast.
McTominay knows how difficult the post-Ferguson era has been for United’s players but he has seen some big names leave and has FA Cup and League Cup winners’ medals to prove his worth.
Joe Jordan was Scottish Serie A football’s most successful export until the latest wave came to the fore.
United won’t win the title this year, but Napoli could.
The fact that he has started each of United’s three games from the bench this season may have dispelled any lingering doubts about his move to Italy.
He came on late on Saturday at Brighton to replace Harry Maguire but it was a forgettable few minutes with João Pedro’s injury-time header ensuring all three points stayed at the Amex Stadium.
By that point Gilmour was back on the bench but his technical brilliance throughout the 90 minutes demonstrated his ability to focus on the job at hand in what could well prove to be his final game for the club.
“I’m not surprised by how he played,” coach Fabian Hurzeler said. “I see him in training. I see his attitude and his ability on and off the field.
Gilmour and McTominay were in direct opposition last weekend, but could now unite in Naples
‘He was really focused and it’s not so easy when someone talks about you or says he’s leaving the club to give this performance.
“I’m very happy that he was so mentally stable. That’s something special.”
Alongside McTominay, Gilmour’s is a talent that now seems destined to be witnessed by fans at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
Some 80 years after the last eruption of Vesuvius, it is pleasing that two pillars of the Scotland team are being hailed as such outstanding players.
