THIS European qualification campaign has thrown up its fair share of surprises as favourites toil and so-called lesser teams look inspired under a new expanded format.

Undoubtedly, though, the biggest story from a British point of view has been Wales. Chris Coleman’s team now only need one point to qualify for their first major tournament in over half a century and you would not bet against them getting it tomorrow night in Cardiff when Israel come to town.

I remember when Wales were ranked 112th in the Fifa World Rankings. That was only five years ago and now they are ninth!

It shows what can be achieved with the right tactics and players. It doesn’t have to be a whole team of superstars. It also helps to have a generation of players pulling in the same direction.

The qualifying format which was lambasted by many has emboldened a lot of countries and I think that has been a key factor. I’m not saying Wales would not qualify without the automatic positions being doubled – the fact they are top of the group suggests otherwise – but people who said 24 teams would lack quality have been proved wrong. Uefa has to act in interest of their members.

So many countries over the years have had virtually no chance of getting to a Euros. The odds are now more favourable and it’s helped give belief to Wales and hopefully it will also benefit Scotland.

Of course, Coleman has one very special player in Gareth Bale – a once in a generation player. It’s unfair to say it’s just down to the Real Madrid man, though. In my opinion, Ryan Giggs was every bit as remarkable as Bale in his era but even with him the Welsh weren’t able to get there.

There are others who have played a part in guys like Aaron Ramsey, Ben Davies. I do think Bale can carry a team on his shoulders, but they all deserve credit.

The supporting cast has been important and they understand what they are and where they are. At their home game against Belgium, Wales’ counter attack was spot on. They didn’t get ahead of themselves and they deservedly beat a very strong team.

Against Cyprus on Thursday they waited for their moment and struck to get a goal, again no surprises who it came from.

Everyone connected deserves credit. There are a few SPFL Premiership players involved in goalkeepers Danny Ward at Aberdeen and Owain Fon Williams from Inverness.

The plaudits also have to be extended to the Welsh support, who have been fantastic. A large part of their success in this campaign has been due to the Cardiff City stadium.

The ground in the capital holds under 30,000 but over the Welsh home ties has produced an electric atmosphere. It’s much better than playing at a half-empty Millennium Stadium.

Playing at the Cardiff City stadium makes it harder. It doesn’t have to be 60,000 to make it intimidating for visiting sides. We saw that in Malmo last week with Celtic when it felt like there were many more than 20,000 in there.

All these things come together and it just seems to be Wales’ time now. They were unlucky in the 70s and 80s not to get to a major tournament – much to Scotland’s benefit at times. They’ve been holders of the ‘nearly team’ tag for a while.

A bit of belief can move mountains for any side, and it demonstrates the best XI doesn’t always make for the best team. They deserve every bit of respect and credit going.

This Dutch side aren’t the type we think of, but it isn’t just the fault of the coach

WHILE Wales grab the headlines, the Netherlands are causing a stir for all the wrong reasons.

The team that got to the World Cup final in 2010 and the semi-finals last year are now in real danger of not automatically making it to France next summer.

After seven games the Dutch have lost three, their latest a 1-0 loss to Group A leaders Iceland on Thursday that leaves them in third, six points off the Czech Republic above them.

It’s difficult to explain how the Netherlands have fallen away so much.

I didn’t think they’d go as far as they did in Brazil. I thought they were in decline and they surprised me.

It is a transitional period. People blamed Guus Hiddink last year and now it’s fallen to Danny Blind.

It’s nothing to do with their manager, though. They play the same way regardless of their head coach, and it’s just not been good enough.

I’d be worried about the defence that proved me wrong last year. It’s not the Dutch team we tend to think of.

It may provide Virgil van Dijk with an opportunity. The centre-half has been on the periphery, I think he is staking a claim and it now may not be far away thanks to his move to Southampton.