Forget Haaland, says Kris Boyd – here’s why I’m backing Super John McGinn and co for Oslo win to take Scotland to Euros

VICTORY in Oslo on Saturday evening will allow the Tartan Army to start sorting their barracks for next summer’s Euros in Germany.

They don’t need to worry about a cancellation policy, as there will be no refunds required.

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Even if Scotland draw with Norway, and then beat Georgia, it would take a minor miracle for us not to be there.

There is such togetherness and belief among Steve Clarke’s squad, and I feel as if the country is in the best place it has been for DECADES.

There is a sense of optimism among the fans, the players and even the media.

That all stems from winning games of football and the management skills of boss Clarke.

If, as I expect us to, we beat Norway, then they will trail us by eight points after just three games.

There is no way in the world Stale Solbakken’s men will claw that back.

Remarkably, we could be home and hosed after just three qualifying games.

Still, it won’t be easy as Oslo is never the easiest place to go and get a result.

They also have two world-class players in their line-up with Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard.

The striker’s scoring record speaks for itself, though I’m convinced as a team and as a squad we are far superior.

John McGinn virtually said as much earlier this week.

The Aston Villa star insisted there was now an arrogance about the national team, and his comments were music to my ears.

Arrogance can be looked upon in a negative way, particularly in everyday life.

But in the world of professional football then it is a huge asset if channelled in the right direction.

It is so refreshing to hear Scotland players brimming with confidence and putting an expectation on their own shoulders about winning every match.

I have been around enough international squads to know that is far from the norm, so we should embrace it while we can.

The first two qualifying games have provided us with a terrific platform on which to build.

Looking back, the Spanish performance actually took my breath away.

Never in my lifetime have I seen Scotland so comfortable against one of the world’s premier nations.

It was 2-0 courtesy of a Scott McTominay double, yet it was going on three or four, and that shows the level we can get to.

We dismantled Spain and that is where the arrogance and confidence comes from.

McGinn and McTominay typify that new-found belief. Both are smashing lads off the park, but on it they are not the type to be intimidated by anybody.

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You can add Callum McGregor to that list as well, and those three are a massive part of why we are thriving right now. We are so strong in that midfield area when you consider guys like Billy Gilmour, Ryan Jack, Ryan Christie and Lewis Ferguson are not guaranteed to start.

We speak about greats, and McGinn is well on his way to getting there. Yet he will be talked about even more fondly if he can appear at more major tournaments.

It is certainly changed days since my time with the national team.

There were plenty of times we reported for Scotland duty knowing it was a futile exercise.

It wasn’t that we had a defeatist attitude. Far from it.

But we knew that reaching a major championship was a pipe dream. We had slipped so far down the rankings we were always seeded not to qualify.

Quite simply we didn’t have the squad to do it back then.

Now the parameters have changed in terms of qualifying, there are so many different routes, and we are making the most of it.

That allied with a squad full of self-belief has made getting to European Championships and World Cups a real possibility again.

Scotland are now a settled side, and you can pretty much name nine of Clarke’s starters every time the squad get together.

There is also a maturity within the group, with most of them at a good age with arguably their best years ahead of them.

The future is optimistic and there are reasons for the supporters to get excited.

Incredibly, Scotland have never ever won their first four qualifying matches.

It is a run which stretches back more than 70 years.

But records are there to be broken, and my money is on this team rewriting the history books.

THE word legend is so overused in football these days, but it most certainly applies to Gordon McQueen.

My fellow Ayrshireman was one of Scotland’s all-time greats and the tributes that have flowed for him testify to that.

I got to know him well during my time at Middlesbrough, when he worked as a scout and a coach.

Gordon was one of the warmest and kindest people I have ever come across and also the funniest. A giant on the pitch, and a truly enormous figure off it as well.

He will be sadly missed.

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