SO I write this in advance of Scotland’s game against Albania in the Nations’ League and in the aftermath of what can only be described as a thrashing from Belgium.

But I have solid grounds for footballing optimism on a couple of fronts. Firstly, we are indeed going to a World Cup. Shelley Kerr takes the Scotland Women’s Team to France next summer, one of only two debutant sides in the competition.

This is an absolutely stunning achievement by Shelley and the girls and one being rightly celebrated.

Secondly, the signs for Hampden remaining the home of the Scottish national sides, as well as semi-finals and finals, look promising.

At the time of writing no decision has been made but those championing the Hampden cause made a terrific case.

Both these things I’ve mentioned above are not unrelated. If, as I hope it will, Hampden and not Murrayfield is announced the SFA’s choice, then it is to the next 100 years those in charge of our national game must be looking and not the last 150.

Hampden is a national asset, part of the fabric of Glasgow life. But the fact we have had this discussion at all shows how the collective eye has been taken off the proverbial ball. How have we even been discussing taking football out of this city?

Ahead of the anticipated decision we’ve had a timely intervention by the head of Glasgow Airport, Derek Provan. Like myself, someone not involved with the world of football but acutely aware of what Hampden means to Glasgow’s international reputation. “To lose it would a travesty for the city’s hard-earned reputation as a global player on the sporting stage.” I totally agree, Derek.

A few weeks ago, I made the case for Hampden, for Glasgow, of what the city council can accommodate in principle to improve the stadium experience and the work we can do with partners around some of the wider issues. That remains the case. And the SFA is receiving support from Government in its staging of the showcase Euro 2020.

It’s what happens after that where we hope the SFA can step up to the plate and give us the vision for what Hampden can become in the next 10, 20 or 30 years. We can’t just talk about the glory of the finals we’ve hosted in the past without discussing how we really can build on Hampden as a city asset and a catalyst for improvements, particularly around the south side. Indeed, Derek Provan’s intervention looks as much to the future as it does the past.

We have heard throughout this process the success of other small and medium-sized nations in making their stadia the epicentre of much of their civic life. Again, let’s see, the correct decision permitting, how the guardians of the game in this country can borrow from the successes of, say, Slovenia.

I’ve been really heartened by how the local community has expressed its deep-rooted affinity with Hampden during this campaign. Again, the fear of losing something we have perhaps taken for granted has fuelled that. In the event of a green light to remain, then I really want to see how the SFA, most likely the new owners of Hampden if they remain, will build on that. The seeds are there, so let’s grow them.

And back to Shelley and her team. Again, we’ve something to build on here. How can the SFA capitalise on this fantastic success? What is the vision for the women’s game? What would give me such a thrill would be the announcement that Hampden is to remain our national stadium, the move has resulted in a fair and equitable deal for Queens Park, that the SFA is working on its post-2020 vision and that we’ll see Kim Little, Jane Ross, Erin Cuthbert, Jen Beattie and the rest of team us on Hampden’s hallowed turf in the not too distant future so they can share their success with the rest of us.