Having watched Scotland fail with another qualifying campaign, Fraser Wilson has something to get off his chest. Has the poor run that means the Tartan Army haven’t been to a major championship since the World Cup in 1998 stemmed from really horrid luck or rather poor judgement?

As Scotland crash out of yet another championship, is it a question of bad luck or bad judgement? We have long considered ourselves the unlucky ones, the ones that would have qualified ‘if only’, the ones who have bemoaned poor refereeing decisions, and the ones who suffered Heir Berti. But are these excuses good enough? Not for me.

Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Faroe Islands, Slovenia, Estonia; all teams we have suffered against in the past, and why? Ability? No. Quality? No. Desire and passion? Hell no. Tactics and belief? Just maybe. Why is it we leave it to the last to give ourselves a glimmer of hope only for it to be dashed? How is it we are so perfect at defining ‘glorious failure’? Why is it on a wet night in Glasgow we can beat France, yet on a similar night draw with Belgium or struggle to squeeze past Liechtenstein? We can take Spain to the limit in front of a packed Hampden and everyone beams the next day saying, ‘Scottish football’s alright you know, we’ll get there’ – will we? Is it OK to squeeze past Liechtenstein? Not in my books.

So what makes us think it is and, more importantly, what do we do about it?

Well disbelief and a lack of confidence comes into it. Instead of playing a 4-6-0 against the Czech Republic, should Scotland not have played a 4-5-1 or 5-4-1? What about 3-5-2? Craig Levein lacked the belief or confidence in his side to attack that fateful night in September ’09 yet 24 hours after the defeat to the Czech’s, the Scotland manager was adamant that he had set his team out appropriately. What’s worse is that just four days later he puts out a side that contain the world champions till the final minute of the first half, when they are awarded a dubious penalty and steal the lead. More than this, despite going 2-0 down after 50 minutes, Scotland haul themselves back into the game with such passion, determination and skill deserving of at least a point (if not more) before suffering a crushing defeat in front of a passionate and emotional partisan crowd.

When asked whether he should have employed these almost heroic tactics in Prague just days earlier, Levein said he didn’t want to talk about what had happened in the past – a sure sign that he had learnt a valuable lesson.

In 2006/7 in attempting to qualify for the 2008 European Championships, Scotland managed to beat France home and away with nouse, cunning and skill, not to mention a momentous dose of passion. Our undoing in trying to qualify for these championships was not being beaten twice by the Italians – despite a dubious free-kick decision late on at Hampden in the final game – but in being humbled 2-0 away to Georgia.

In trying to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Scotland were beaten 1-0 at Hampden against both Norway and Belarus, and were beaten away from home by Slovenia. Slovenia and Belarus – really?

Dalgleish, Narey, Gemmel, Strachan, Baxter, Johnston, Jordan, McCoist, Collins even – these are but a few Scottish greats that deserve to have their legacy preserved by better performances than what we have shown in recent years. In the run up to, and after, Scotland’s foree into their last major championships in 1998, the team – under then manager, Craig Brown – had one of the best defences in European football and were unlucky not to qualify for Euro 2000 in Portugal. But who did they have to blame for that? Themselves.

A defeat away from home and a self-destructive draw against Belgium at Hampden– being 2-0 up at home with 20 minutes to go before beingpegged back to 2-2 – made sure that Scotland would have to battle through a play-off double header with the Auld Enemy to try and ensure a place at the beach on the Algarve. But after a 2-0 thumping at home by England, things were nigh-on-impossible. Then, all of a sudden, Don Hutchison powers a header in at Wembley and Scotland are bossing the game against all the odds – we believe, we hope, we expect… we are disapponted.

The scorecast doesn’t look good, the form guide makes for bleak reading, the outside criticism in unbearable – yet we believe. Scotland’s first qualification tie for the World Cup in Brazil offers a clean slate, a fresh start, a chance to right the wrongs and clear out the dead wood. It offers Craig Levein the chance to address and rectify the confidence and personnel problems – not just in his reign – that Scotland suffer.

Is Levein the right man for the job? His record with Dundee United and the expectation of a nation upon his appointment say yes – his results are far less convincing. For me – I think he is, but he has a few apologies to make. To the Tartan Army, to his employers, to his players, to his support team. He can do this best by rectifying wrongs with disgruntled players and by rectifying results on the pitch.

Steven Fletcher has been proven in his protest against the Scotland manager but he will take no joy in watching Scotland suffer without his influence. Kris Boyd and lately Kris Commons, have suffered because of poor club performances – along with youngsters such as Allan and Swanson at Dundee United, Murphy at Motherwell and Bryson at Derby, Scotland seem to have a depth of raw talent curently at their disposal. So what has went wrong since 1998?

A lack of gusto, a lack of belief, poor management of raw talent, not bringing through youngsters when they deserve it, Berti Vogts, choking under pressure, giving more respect than is due. Take your pick.

Ally MaCleod took a team to Argentina and genuinely expected to win the World Cup. When was the last time Scotland thought they could win anything abroad other than a drinking competition?

We have it in us. We have the talent, we have the manager, we should have the belief. God knows we have the support and passion. Please god give us the nous to make it happen, and please god give us the leadership to make it happen.

Fraser Wilson is a journalist and football commentator. He can be followed on Twitter @FRAZWRITER.

Photo courtesy of Alistair Hunter.