Ally McCoist insists Ryan Jack goes 'straight in' to Scotland team as Rangers hero applauds Che Adams impact

Ally McCoist scored 19 goals in 61 appearances for Scotland so this is a man who knows a thing or two about operating at the business end of international football.

The former Rangers player and manager has winced with the rest of the nation at the lack of striking talent a succession of Scotland bosses have had to work with in recent years and at the subsequent failure to reach any of the last five World Cups.

In fact, qualification for the Euros last summer was Scotland’s first major tournament of any note since 1998 and McCoist prays that the three matches played by Steve Clarke’s team against the Czech Republic, England and Croatia were a signal of much better days to come.

Next week, of course, should have seen our nation gripped with World Cup play-off fever as Ukraine were due to head to Hampden. That match, correctly, has been postponed until June in the wake of the war being waged on Ukraine by Russia, meaning Scotland will now face Poland in a friendly at the national stadium.

That will be followed by a trip to face the loser of the Wales-Austria play-off – with the winners of that one lying in wait for whoever prevails when Scotland and Ukraine finally play their match.

These two upcoming matches, then, give Clarke the chance to continue to mould a squad that has won its last six matches, including a superb victory over Denmark at Hampden in November that set up the home play-off opportunity.

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