For many people old enough to remember, June 7, 1978, will live long in infamy as the day that Scottish sport died.

On that date our national football team was humbled in a 1-1 draw with Iran, thereby confirming that we would not – contrary to a bewildering collective delusion that had gripped the nation – win the World Cup in Argentina.

Since then, the country has been on a gradual, but inexorable, descent into sporting mediocrity and ignominy.

There have been occasional spikes on the graph, which gave us momentary cause for celebration or, dare I say, optimism, but each one turned out to be a hiatus in a continuous downward curve.

Now it seems that all those decades, when the water cannon of sporting humiliation lashed us to the wall of broken dreams, were but a precursor to where we now find ourselves.

Anyone with a hint of realism must surely conclude that, if we have not already arrived there, then we are fast approaching our sporting nadir.

With more than a year to go until the next football World Cup, Scotland are 250/1 outsiders even to qualify for the tournament, following last week’s humbling by group opponents Greece.

After yet another disappointing Six Nations tournament it seems that, despite producing a golden generation of rugby talent, our national side remains more impressive on paper than on grass.

Last year, we saw a Masters golf tournament without a single Scottish player. This year there is one, as it stands, Robert MacIntyre. Following Andy Murray’s retirement, there has been a dearth of tennis talent and, only in the past week, have we seen a Scottish player break into the........

© Herald Scotland