Martin Hannan: McLeish review is now more urgent than ever, if it's not too late already

"We lived for three months in a paper bag in a septic tank," says one. "Luxury," replies another, "Dad would thrash us to sleep with a broken bottle." And so on, hilariously.

It ends with the line: "You tell young people that and they won't believe you."

Back in the space of eight days in May, 1967, Celtic won the European Cup, Rangers only lost the European Cup-Winners Cup final to an extra-time goal, and Kilmarnock were beaten in the semi-final of the Fairs Cities Cup (later the UEFA Cup) by a magnificent Leeds United side.

You tell young people that, they won't believe you.

Over the next five years, Celtic would reach another European Cup final, and Rangers would win the Cup-Winners Cup. In the 1980s, Aberdeen won the Cup-Winners Cup and Super Cup while Dundee United reached the UEFA Cup final, and Celtic and Rangers have subsequently made finals in that tournament.

You tell young people that, they won't believe you.

The extraordinary European football record of this small nation needs repeating, because after this calamitous week, if you tell young people about it, they would have every right not to believe you. It's not really a question of faith, of course, because every follower of any Scottish team that has had success in Europe knows where and when it happened, and no matter their age, fans can usually give you exact details such as team lists and scorers.

Those folk memories are indicative of the importance which Scottish clubs and their supporters place on participation in European competition, a love affair started in the very first year of the European Cup by Hibs, who reached the semi-final.

It's instructive to look at this week's biggest failures, Celtic. From 1963-64 to 1973-74, Celtic reached the European Cup final twice, made the semi-finals twice more, and the quarter-finals a further twice.

They also twice reached the Cup-Winners Cup semi-finals. In other words, in 11 seasons of European football, they reached the quarter-finals or better eight times.

Now, after the week of death, we are relying on Rangers to carry the Saltire once again, and look what happened to them last season.

With a national team that has not qualified for the major championships for 12 years, Scottish football is now surely not at, but way beyond, the crossroads.

Thankfully, former First Minister Henry McLeish will publish his much-anticipated review of Scottish football's professional level in November.

We are assured that McLeish will turn a gimlet eye on the shortcomings of everyone involved in the game, and the SFA has promised to act on his recommendations.

One conclusion is unavoidable. Scotland simply no longer has the class of player or coach in this country - our best managers work in England - that once made us a force to be reckoned with. Why did that happen and what can be done about it?

That is the issue which underlies all the debate, and if he can answer that single question, McLeish will do Scottish football a huge service. All our clubs, leagues, administrators, coaches, politicians, parents, businesses and the media must then listen and act.

For the sake of the game, we have to do something so that our young people can believe in the future of Scottish football. Over to you, Mr McLeish.