GIANT pictures of some giants of Scottish football currently adorn the walls of Hampden - much to the delight of one of those to be honoured.

“I’m chuffed with that,” said Graeme Souness on a flying visit to the stadium where he performed with distinction on so many occasions during his illustrious playing days. 

“I’ve taken a photo of it and sent it to my son. He’s been caught wearing an England shirt to an England game. I threatened to disown him for that. But he wears a Scottish strip as well.”

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How will the SFA pay tribute to the current members of the Scotland side if they manage to go further than Souness ever did at a major tournament at Euro 2024 in Germany this summer?

The former Liverpool, Sampdoria and Rangers midfielder feels the governing body might have to do something.

The 70-year-old donned a dark blue jersey at the World Cup finals in Argentina in 1978, Spain in 1982 and Mexico in 1986 – but he was never able to help his country progress beyond the group stages.

He is, like so many members of the Tartan Army, optimistic that Steve Clarke’s men, who have been drawn to face hosts Germany, Switzerland and Hungary in Group A in June, can reach the knockout rounds. 

“I think we have a really good chance in the Euros,” said Souness. “We are a very well-organised team who can cause anyone problems.

“In the three games that we play in the group, we will frustrate teams. We can player on the counter and win games. I honestly think all three of our games are 50-50. You just need a little bit of Lady Luck along the way.

“I look at my own three World Cups. In each one of those World Cups, you can always point to a game where we just didn’t quite do the right thing. In Argentina in ‘78, we lost the first game against Peru.

The Herald: “In ‘82, we conceded a couple of goals against New Zealand and ended up going out on goal difference. In ‘86, the Uruguay game was one we should have won. Sometimes you just need a little bit of luck on the day.

“If we can get that in the Euros, we’re capable of getting a result in all three games. We’re capable of playing in a way that will frustrate teams like Germany. It’s just about taking your chances and maybe getting a little bit of luck along the way.”

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Souness, though, has one niggling worry. Who is going to give Scotland the cutting edge which they will need up front to prevail in the Allianz Arena, RheinEnergieStadion and MHPArena and book their berth in the last 16?

He suspects that Clarke, who has named Che Adams, Lyndon Dykes and Lawrence Shankland in his squad for the friendlies against the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Friday night and Northern Ireland in Glasgow on Tuesday evening, is slightly lacking in that crucial department.

He has certainly been impressed with Scott McTominay of Manchester United and John McGinn of Aston Villa, who netted seven goals and three goals respectively during a hugely successful qualifying campaign, in the past 12 months.

The man who played at the World Cup with forwards like Kenny Dalglish, Joe Jordan, Alan Brazil, Steve Archibald, Paul Sturrock, Charlie Nicholas and Frank McAvennie fears that the national team may be hampered in Germany because they do not have a world class striker like Harry Kane, Robert Lewandowski or Romelu Lukaku.

“I do think we’re still short of a goalscorer up front,” he said. “McTominay has scored a lot of our goals over the past year or so. A striker who can get you goals is the hardest things to find. They are the match-winners and the guys who decide games.”

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That said, Souness is confident that Clarke has the mixture of physicality, guile and experience that he needs in the centre of the park.

He is particularly looking forward to seeing how Brighton midfielder Billy Gilmour acquits himself at Euro 2024 now that he is playing in the Premier League on a weekly basis.

The Herald: “John McGinn is a super player,” he said. “You certainly wouldn’t like to play against him. He can bully opponents. He’s strong and powerful. I know Callum McGregor has had a knock recently. Hopefully he’s okay. Billy Gilmour is a terrific little footballer.

“I remember the night at Wembley in the last Euros. We got a 0-0 but we really should have beaten England on the night. Billy Gilmour was magnificent. He absolutely ran the show for Scotland in midfield against some big stars in the England team.

“It didn’t work out for him when he went out on loan to Norwich a couple of years ago. But he’s put that behind him now and he’s proven himself to be a quality Premier League player at Brighton. He doesn’t give the ball away. He’s a cute little player who will only get better and better over these next few years.”

Ex-Sampdoria man Souness also knows that Lewis Ferguson, the former Hamilton and Aberdeen midfielder who has played for Bologna for the past two seasons, will have no difficulty performing at Euro 2024 if Clarke gives him game time in Germany. 

“Moving over to Italy and Serie A was just an incredible experience,” he said. “It was a great place to live, a different culture and different approach to football. I had the most wonderful two years there.

“I came back here and had another year to go on my contract. I was finding it easy because, as a midfield player, they didn’t pressure you. They dropped off.

“I thought I could get another deal. I felt like I could easily have another two or three years left in me. At that time, they were paying the big money in Italy as well. Then I got offered the Rangers job and that changed everything.

“The midfield doesn’t concern me at all. I think we are very strong in the middle of the park. It’s scoring goals that concerns me.”