Paul Hartley may not have played for Scotland in a European Championships or World Cup.
But he has experienced a big tournament from within.
And the Dundee manager is confident Gordon Strachan’s squad could be on the verge of ending the country’s major finals drought.
“As a young player I was at Euro ‘96 helping Craig Brown’s squad,” the Dark Blues boss recalled.
“I know what it’s like just being around it, the anticipation you get for a championship.
“I’m desperate for us to get there again. I really am.
“We want to be there next year.
“It would be a big boost for Scottish football – for managers, coaches, players, journalists, the whole country.
“This is a great opportunity.
“To play in a finals would have been brilliant for me. This group has a real opportunity to do that.”
Hartley, who was injured for the trip to Georgia in 2007 the last time Scotland had a realistic shot at qualification, added: “I think we’ve got a squad of players who can win football matches, and I think we’ve got an outstanding manager in Gordon Strachan.
“He can make us hard to beat and get us to win games as well.
“I think we’ve given ourselves a fantastic chance.
“The Georgia match is an important one. Hopefully we can get a positive result before the Germany game on Monday night.
“We’re in the mix. I think we can get into the top two.
“We’ve still got Poland and Gibraltar and there’s nothing to fear in the games we’ve got left.”
Several Strachan regulars have been starved of first team football with their clubs in the early weeks of the season, but Hartley isn’t concerned.
“I don’t see that being a problem,” he pointed out. “Just look at Alan Hutton at Aston Villa. He wasn’t playing for his club but Gordon picked him regularly for Scotland.
“He’ll go with the guys in form and the guys who have done it before for him. A manager picks the players who he can trust on the big occasion.”