THERE has been further evidence of the significant progress Scotland have made since Gordon Strachan was appointed manager two and a half years ago in the build-up to the Euro 2016 qualifier with the Republic of Ireland this week.

 

Time will tell if the national team has advanced enough to win a competitive fixture against a decent standard of opposition away from home - something which has, despite a positive start, proved beyond them in Group D so far to date - and then go on and reach the finals.

The meeting with Martin O'Neill's team in the Aviva Stadium here this evening comes at an awkward time; it has been a long and wearying 2014/15 season and much has already been demanded, by both their clubs and country, of those who will be involved.

In the not too distant past, Scotland's outings around this time of the year, when professional footballers are longing to switch off and relax on a sun-drenched beach abroad or prop up some dimly-lit bar, have resulted in a spate of late call-offs and flat performances.

Strachan experienced that phenomenon soon after he had succeeded Craig Levein and taken charge of his country in 2013. He was struck by the listlessness of his players as they both prepared for and played in what was a meaningless World Cup qualifier with Croatia in only his fourth game.

They may, courtesy of a Robert Snodgrass goal in the first half, have beaten a side which was,at that time sitting in fourth position in the FIFA world rankings in Zagreb. But, boy, was it a struggle.

The Scotland manager has found his mind occasionally wandering back to that outing, which marked a definite turning point in his tenure, in the last few days as he has watched his players sprint brightly around the training pitch and hurl themselves wholeheartedly into tackles during practice matches at their Mar Hall base on the outskirts of Bishopton.

The enthusiasm on display has been in stark contrast to the tiredness shown ahead of that match in June two years before. The marked difference has given him belief the national team can take another step towards France next summer by recording a draw or even a victory in Dublin.

"The fact they've done so well over the last 18 months or so since the tournament started means they've kept their edge," he said. "This could have been a horrible fixture. As a matter of fact, I said to them: 'If we only had a couple of points I wouldn't have expected to see a lot of you'.

"It looked like it was hard work for everybody then (against Croatia). We were out of the tournament we were playing in. It was finished. All there was at stake was pride. We had to drag whatever the players had left in them for that game. The fitness of the players is far, far better than that squad was.

"The excitement of this game is the motivator. Everybody wants to play in this game. Everybody. Whether you are new to the squad or you've been there for a while you want to make an impression. This takes care of itself."

If, as Strachan has been at pains to point out, neither the fitness or the motivation of his players are an issue, Scotland will go into their sixth qualifying match with some confidence. The visitors would, despite playing away from home, appear to have a decent chance of recording a result. They have the vast majority of their key players and have momentum.

The 58-year-old certainly has some big decisions to make before he tells his players the starting line-up this morning. In particular, who plays alongside Russell Martin at centre half - Gordon Greer or Charlie Mulgrew - in defence is a huge call.

As is who partners captain Scott Brown in the centre of midfield. There is nothing to choose between Darren Fletcher, who is a specialist in the position and has represented his country there on numerous occasions in the past, James Morrison, who has done exceptionally since being moved there this season, and James McArthur, who has excelled this term.

Yet, Strachan could potentially leave both West Bromwich Albion men and the Crystal Palace player out of his side and select Mulgrew, who enjoyed his finest performance in dark blue as Scotland beat the Republic 1-0 at Celtic Park in November, ahead of them both.

The dilemmas the former Coventry, Southampton, Celtic and Middlesbrough manager faces underline the strength in depth which he now has at his disposal. It may make his job difficult, but it is certainly a preferable position to be in than struggling to find an individual of sufficient quality to fill the key berths.

These two Celtic nations - whose supporters are kindred spirits off the field and have been enjoying each other's craic in the hostelries of Temple Bar for the last couple of days - are evenly matched on the park. This promises to be another fiercely contested and tight match.

Scotland have lost 2-1 to World Cup winners Germany and drawn 2-2 with group leaders Poland in their two away games so far in Group D. There was no disgrace in either of those results.

But returning home with three more points after their first victory on the road this evening would be huge and would be another indication of their steady improvement.