When Scotland last graced a World Cup, Craig Brown was at the helm — and the memories of France 98 remain as vivid as ever. Brown, who passed away aged 82 in 2023, left behind a rich account of what it took to prepare a nation for the game's grandest stage.

Rod Stewart, Sean Connery, and a goalkeeper who walked

Preparations began in earnest in New Jersey, where Scotland played warm-up fixtures against Colombia and the United States. But Brown faced an early blow when goalkeeper Andy Goram approached him and announced he was leaving the camp for personal reasons. "To his credit, he spoke to me and sent me a lovely letter," Brown recalled.

The American leg of the trip carried its own glamour. Two years prior, Rod Stewart had invited the squad to his concert at Madison Square Garden — with some 5,000 fans locked out — while the players found themselves on stage. Stewart returned in 1998 and even joined a training session. "He coped admirably," Brown said with characteristic understatement.

A call from Sean Connery also made its way to the Scotland camp. Brown remembered his secretary initially dismissing it as a prank, assuming it was Ally McCoist on the other end.

Duvets, a makeshift gym, and French lessons from John Collins

With Jonathan Gould stepping in for Goram, Scotland decamped to their base in St Remy in southern France — a venue Brown had selected with meticulous care. A gym had to be constructed from scratch to satisfy players such as John Collins, who were devoted to their fitness regimens. The squad were even consulted on their preferred duvet weight and bed length.

Collins, who had spent two years with Monaco and was about to join Everton, also served as Brown's impromptu French tutor. Asked to supply a phrase for press conferences, Collins offered: victoire ou défaite, importe c'est la fete — "victory or defeat, the most important thing is the fun."

Kilts, Ronaldo, and a famous night in Paris

On 10 June 1998, Scotland stepped off the bus in St Denis wearing full kilts — a decision Brown had quietly arranged without the knowledge of then Scottish FA chief executive Jim Farry, knowing approval would never have been given. The night before, prime minister Tony Blair had visited the squad.

The opponent was Brazil, world champions and the tournament favourites, with Ronaldo — then at Inter Milan — their most dangerous weapon. Brown consulted Bobby Robson, who had coached Ronaldo at PSV, and received blunt advice: "You don't stop him, just don't let him get the ball." Brown instructed Christian Dailly to shadow Cafu and prevent the right-back from feeding Ronaldo.

The plan partially worked. Cesar Sampaio headed Brazil in front after five minutes, but Collins equalised from the penalty spot before half-time. Then, 16 minutes from time, Tom Boyd turned the ball into his own net to hand Brazil a 2-1 victory. "They did everything asked of them," Brown said of his players. "It gave us belief for what lay ahead."

Norway, a leveller, and heartbreak in St Etienne

Norway were next in Bordeaux, and Scotland dominated — only for Havard Flo to nod in from close range shortly after the restart. Craig Burley's lofted finish from a Davie Weir pass — "a pass from intelligence," in Brown's words — earned a point, but Scotland needed a victory against Morocco to have any hope of advancing.

That hope was extinguished in St Etienne. Salaheddine Bassir struck midway through the first half, Abdeljalil Hadda doubled the lead early in the second, and Burley — sporting a newly bleached haircut — was sent off for a reckless challenge. Scotland went down 3-0, and their campaign was over.

Norway's 2-1 win over Brazil that same evening made the result irrelevant to the group standings, but Brown's thoughts were with the supporters who had made sacrifices to travel. "To think some of them lost their jobs to go over and follow us," he said. "You are quite sad you've not given them more to enjoy, but we gave it a right good go."