Since Walter Smith left his post as manager of Scotland in 2007 there has been a gradual deterioration in the relationship between Rangers fans and the national side.
Smith restored pride and performances and left with his country ranked number 13 in the FIFA world rankings, in good health and with the chance of qualifying for Euro 2008 despite having the World Cup finalists and a quarter-finalist in their group – that the squad had a heavy contingent from Rangers should not be ignored.
The events of 2012 did little to enamour the SFA with fans of the Light Blues and in the subsequent years there has been little to cheer about for both club and country.
When newly appointed manager Steve Clarke left Kilmarnock with a snide dig at Rangers it further served to highlight why Rangers fans have fallen out of love with Scotland, his treatment of Ryan Jack following an Old Firm game did little to enamour him with Steven Gerrard either.
There is only one resolution to the current discord, more Rangers players lining up in navy blue, cheering on a team featuring as many as six or seven of your bitter rivals in the starting XI is never going to be an easy pill to swallow but with the youth teams at national level full of players from the Auchenhowie academy, this could be about to change over the coming years.
Do you still support the Scotland national team?
Yes
No
Robby McCrorie has been promoted to the senior squad and Nathan Patterson at just 18-years old is in the under-21 squad, and is seen as the natural successor when James Tavernier leaves Rangers, given the lack of talent at right-back, if he can perform consistently for his club, the number two shirt would be his for the taking for Scotland.
Jack remains a consistent performer for Gerrard and if Clarke uses him properly, he could solve a lot of the problems he has in front of his defence, as would putting Jon McLaughlin behind it, yet to concede a goal for Rangers, he would almost certainly have done a better job than David Marshall of stopping Israel’s equaliser last week.
Successful Scotland squads have always had a core of players coming from Ibrox and if the relationship is to improve between the two parties then a return to the past is the only way forward, however, the prodigious youngsters have to make the step-up to the first team or the Gers gaffer has to add domestic talent to his squad, if there is such a thing.