How close were Scotland to qualifying for Euro 2008? The moment will for ever be ingrained in Alex McLeish�s mind. Ten minutes remaining at Hampden Park, on the final day of qualification, and the world champions are wobbling.

How close were Scotland to qualifying for Euro 2008? The moment will for ever be ingrained in Alex McLeish's mind. Ten minutes remaining at Hampden Park, on the final day of qualification, and the world champions are wobbling. The damage inflicted by Luca Toni's first-minute opener had already been repaired by Barry Ferguson. James McFadden, hero of the Parc des Princes, strides infield and threads an inviting pass to Kenny Miller. The substitute reciprocates and the ball skids tantalisingly across the six yard box, avoiding desperate Italian intervention along with way.

McFadden's sliding shot is mistimed by mere milliseconds. He buries his face in the sodden Hampden turf. McLeish looks up, traumatised, toward a foreboding sky. The rest is history.

The phantom free-kick. The fatal blow. "My life flashed before my eyes when Faddy had that chance," recalls McLeish of that fateful November day, "but in the end, the sum of all the parts was just not enough. We got off to a horrendous start but after Barry Ferguson equalised, we just pounded Italy - the World Cup winners - throughout the second half."

George Burley is the new custodian of a nation's sporting pride. Scotland are sustained by the memories of what very nearly was. A less daunting path to South Africa in 2010 - a five-team qualification group containing Holland, Macedonia, Iceland and Norway - contains its own perils and pitfalls.

A team that revelled in its underdog status against France, Italy and Ukraine are now a coveted scalp. It is the biggest threat to Scotland's quest to end what, at best, will be a 12-year hiatus from major championship finals.

Today, the new Scotland coaching team prepare for visits to Macedonia and Iceland with the same old insecurities: technical limitations within the squad, the burden of expectation and, of course, the perennial curse of human frailty. McLeish, now on the Championship promotion trail at Birmingham City, offered his best wishes, albeit with a familiar note of caution.

"Of course we are capable of going to the World Cup," he told The Herald.

"I believe we can do it, but I am not saying we will do it.

"I think the experience the players had in the last campaign will stand them in good stead. They have all gained a little bit of gravitas and teams will be wary of them.

"It is still no certainty, though, and after coming so close in a group containing France, Italy and Ukraine, people may see it as a formality to finish behind Holland. Macedonia are a proud nation who will be tough to beat, and Norway would feel they have a chance. They say for the smaller nations, success is cyclical, and Norway have been in the doldrums a wee while now . . ."

As long as Scotland, in fact. McLeish, and before him Walter Smith, laid the foundations for international respectability that are evident in the uplifting - if flawed - FIFA rankings. More tangibly, the renaissance is charted in the remarkable sequence of results in the previous qualifying campaign. Victories, home and away, against France, a command performance at home to Ukraine, and success against Lithuania. Scotland's fate was sealed against Italy but the optimism waned after a bruising defeat to Georgia in Tbilisi. It is the most relevant reference point for Scotland's next challenge. Then, as now, Scotland were handicapped by injuries to key players. McLeish's patchwork side were ripped apart by a collection of Georgian players already out of contention.

"We switched it for the Georgia game and on reflection I asked too much of the strikers," McLeish conceded. "It was a bridge too far for us but we beat Ukraine comprehensively at Hampden and our destiny was in our own hands, so we gave it a go. We lost about five regular picks for that game and it was a hammer blow."

The Burley era begins in earnest without the captain, Ferguson, and the revitalised Alan Hutton.

"It is horrible and I really feel for George," said McLeish. "No matter what the critics say about Barry Ferguson -some people like him, some don't - he will take the ball at any point, in any game, against any company and play football. At world level, you need players who are brave enough to do that, especially away from home. He was a vital cog for Rangers in that European run last season.

"Alan has gone from strength to strength, culminating in his move to Spurs. He got to the stage where he could do no wrong. As soon as he touched the ball he was away. He was so positive and few could live with those runs. I remember when he came back from injury at Rangers he would stop, look up and want people to show for him. Now, he is the type of player who makes things happen and he will be a huge loss."

Mercifully, McFadden is in rude health. The masterful maverick achieved heroic status for his iconic strike against France in Paris. He is also a symbol of hope after 10 years of failure. McLeish was so bewitched by McFadden's brilliance that he spent £6m to snatch him from Everton. He was unable to keep Birmingham in the Barclays Premier League but with his passion and pride is born for the international arena.

"McFadden knows his worth," said the manager who successfully fought to keep McFadden at St Andrews during the transfer window. "He is revered by the Tartan Army and he is Scotland's talisman. People used to say his final decision-making let him down, and at times he looked unsure of whether he should cut inside or shoot but he is the man who will strike fear into the opposition. He showed against France what he is capable of: when he gets on that ball he has the ability to make special things happen.

"He has not scored for me yet this season so hopefully he can hit a run when he gets back."

Kenny Miller has long been an enigma to McLeish. He sold him to Rangers in 1999 and, upon taking over from Dick Advocaat, sanctioned the striker's pre-arranged transfer to Wolves. There were no hard feelings. Miller's international credibility soared as the focal point of Smith's rebuilding work and he remained a vital component in phase two under McLeish.

He has since returned to Rangers, via Celtic, and emphasised his sense of occasion with two goals in the 4-2 win at Parkhead. "I think he is maybe the kind of player who needs to be shown a bit of faith and he has that rapport with Walter," said McLeish. "Kenny will have a marvellous spring in his step after the weekend and he is one of a number of players who has been around the block.

"He is ideally suited to that one-up role and has been a useful player for Scotland. He still needs to prove he is more than just two goals against Celtic but that will have raised his confidence."

McLeish is keen to preserve his international legacy. He is as proud of his achievements as manager as he is of his 77 caps earned invariably beside Willie Miller in a more prosperous and prestigious era for Scotland.

Burley has repeatedly stated his intention to be respectful of the established international template but to attempt to add a sprinkling of flair and endeavour. McLeish made a stout defence of his team's entertainment value. "You can't accuse us of not being bold in Georgia. We played two up front but we paid for it by being overrun in midfield," he said. "We were also bold at Hampden, playing two up in every game except against Italy.

"George now has a group of players with great experience. Scott Brown, for example, was a fledgling when we brought him in."

The likelihood is Burley will preserve the tactical status quo for the expectedly sweaty night in Skopje that will provide the first serious indication of Scotland's World Cup credentials.

Holland at Hampden on the final day of qualification may seem a world away but here's to a happy ending.