Steve Clarke tin go "one of the astir palmy managers successful Scottish history" by reaching the World Cup, according to Stephen O'Donnell.
The Scots defeated Liechtenstein 4-0 successful Vaduz connected Monday, 3 days connected from a 3-1 location nonaccomplishment to Iceland.
Clarke's broadside volition statesman their quest to scope a archetypal men's World Cup since 1998 distant to Denmark successful September and volition besides look Belarus and Greece.
O'Donnell played 26 times for Scotland, mostly nether Clarke betwixt 2018 and 2022, and was besides portion of Clarke's Kilmarnock side.
"If you'd offered Steve Clarke the accidental of qualifying for 2 Euros and a World Cup, I deliberation he'd person bitten your manus disconnected astatine the commencement of his tenure," helium told BBC Scotland.
"We were a state that was successful a existent benignant of, I don't privation to accidental a messiness but successful a troubled time. Lots of players calling off, tons of players not wanting to crook up.
"Now you see, with the caller friendlies against 2 lesser sides, it would person been precise casual for a batch of these large players who gain precise bully wealth to say, 'do you cognize what, I privation to person a mates of weeks disconnected for my summer'. They didn't. They each travel due to the fact that that's wherever the state is conscionable now.
"We're wanting to vie for large tournaments, to effort to suffice and hopefully bring success. So Steve Clarke, if helium managed to suffice for the World Cup, he'd astir apt beryllium 1 of the astir palmy managers successful Scottish history."
The occupation facing Clarke is gathering renewed anticipation from a Scotland enactment that has attended the past 2 European Championships without watching their broadside triumph a crippled astatine either finals.
Getting to the Americas adjacent twelvemonth without the request for a play-off volition necessitate topping their qualifying group.
"That's what astir apt makes it the astir absorbing group," 33-year-old Motherwell vice-captain and right-back O'Donnell said.
"The 3 of america are lone separated by 20 Fifa satellite ranking points, truthful it's tight. We'll beryllium up for it, we'll beryllium acceptable and hopefully the state tin travel unneurotic and get, successful these six games, six large performances and capable to marque past again."
Scotland's location signifier volition request a changeable successful the limb if past is to beryllium made, fixed the nationalist broadside has conceded six goals successful the past 2 matches astatine Hampden, including 3 to Greece.
A stirring triumph implicit Spain connected Glasgow's southside is present much than 2 years ago, with a caller procreation of players, including teenagers Lennon Miller and Ben Doak, present being asked to instrumentality Scotland forward.
Liverpool winger Doak, successful particular, could beryllium cardinal to however Scotland enactment up successful aboriginal and to the country's chances of occurrence erstwhile the difficult-looking World Cup run gets nether mode successful Denmark successful the autumn.
"If Ben Doak's available, I deliberation helium makes a monolithic quality with the attacking prowess helium has, the gait helium has," O'Donnell added. "There are not galore different players of a akin illustration successful the squad, truthful if he's fit, you'd astir apt opt for a 4-3-3 formation.
"Five astatine the backmost is bully distant from home, but astatine Hampden, you'd similar to springiness a spot much momentum to the fans and having players getting astatine full-backs would surely person that impact.
"It's going to beryllium difficult, but I bash deliberation we're bully enough. We showed it successful the past run for the Euros with however good we started.
"That's going to beryllium needed again against apical opposition. We're susceptible of it, we person much than capable prime and experience.
"Don't forget, the happening this squad has done is make arsenic a squad and gained planetary experience, not lone successful qualifications but successful tournaments. That's going to beryllium needed not lone to hopefully get america implicit the enactment but to past execute good astatine the World Cup. I deliberation we tin qualify."
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