GLASGOW: Former Scotland star John Collins insists his country must go back to basics to avoid a repeat of their embarrassingly early exit from the World Cup.
Gordon Strachan’s side became the first European team officially eliminated from the race to qualify for next year’s tournament in Brazil following their 2-0 defeat in Serbia on Tuesday.
The Scots are rooted to the bottom of qualifying Group A, below the likes of Wales and Macedonia, with two points from six games.
They have lost their last four qualifiers and have scored just three goals in the campaign.
It is now 15 years since Scotland’s appearance at the 1998 World Cup -- the last time they qualified for a major international competition -- and Collins, who was part of that side, is shocked by the way the national team has disintegrated since then.
They reached the finals of five consecutive World Cups from 1974 to 1990, an era in which they were inspired by players such as Kenny Dalglish, Archie Gemmill and Graeme Souness.
While Scotland have never threatened to win the World Cup or European Championship, for many years they could be relied on to at least qualify and occasionally produce memorable moments in the finals, such as their 3-2 win over eventual runners-up Holland in 1978. afp
