Scotland legend Alex McLeish wonders where all the great centre-halves have gone

When you look back now at the defenders Scotland used to boast, compared to what Gordon Strachan has had to with over recent years, it’s enough to make one weep.

If that sounds harsh with respect to who will face England next Saturday at Hampden, it’s not meant to be. Russell Martin is a sold type, while Charlie Mulgrew, a right good player, has never let down his country and was one of our best performers last time out in the win against Slovenia.

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But the fact remains that for a country which could at least rely on being able to call on good defenders even in fallow times, it seems the young kids today have no interest at all in playing at the back. It’s this reason probably more than any other why the national team are not where any of us would like them to be as things stand.

The players mentioned above, all of whom would stroll into Strachan’s side, were name-dropped by McLeish when he looked back to his time with the national team.

He could also have also mentioned Roy Aitken, Craig Levein and Davie McPherson who all played in World Cups.

“It’s something (lack of defenders) that’s been a talking point over the past couple of years,” said the man known as Big Eck who with 77 caps making him fourth on all-time list having recently been overtaken by Darren Fletcher.

“We had Hansen, Burns, Miller, myself, Hegarty, Narey, Gough and Gordon McQueen just finishing when I started. An amazing array of centre-backs. We’ve not been able to train up or have the authoritative centre-halves we’ve had in the past. I don’t know why it is.

Read more: Kieran Tierney hoping to be ready for first ever England challenge

“Maybe we need to get the tall mother and the tall father together, make it like robotic programming for a new Scottish centre-half.

“There’s been the emergence of smaller players, I don’t know if that’s due to the Barcelona success and how they’ve evolved, but they still had a world-class centre-half in Gerard Pique. We’re needing to produce a couple of mobile giants.”

That would be nice, as would a win over Gareth Southgate’s side, a result which would make the summer all the more pleasurable.

Scotland’s best hope, arguably, is England’s players are already on holiday, safe in the knowledge that they have already all-but won the group. Defeats will mean the end of Scotland World Cup hopes and most likely Strachan’s time as manager.

These matches are never anything other than huge, at least to us Scots, but this one really is as important as it gets.

“At this part of our history, I would say this is one the biggest ever England games,” said McLeish. “Not to put more pressure on the players. They’re playing at good levels and mentality it shouldn’t be a problem. The occasion and because it’s England, they’ll roll the sleeves up that wee bit further.”

McLeish beat the English twice, at Wembley in 1981 and then four years later at a soaking wet Hampden.

A John Robertson penalty won the game down there on a day when the Scots were banned from Wembley. There were just the 70,000 who made it that day. Then in 1985, a Richard Gough header won the Rous Cup. Great memories.

Read more: Kieran Tierney hoping to be ready for first ever England challenge

“The Wembley pitch was energy-sapping because of the aura of the arena,” recalled McLeish. “I’d played at Hampden enough times to not be overawed by playing there and Wembley was the same. We were determined not to be overawed.

“At at the end of the game I remember my feet were all blistered, and it wasn’t new boots, it was just the pitch. You felt as though you’d run a marathon.

“We lap it up when we beat England, it’s a special game, it always feels like a cup final. This one coming up is even more important than the Home Internationals, as it was then.

“This is qualification for a major tournament. If Gordon can win this then we’ll all be in his debt.”