New Scotland assistant manager Mark McGhee suggests hopes of making it to the 2014 World Cup are not yet dead.
The Scottish side sits bottom of Group A on just two points from four games following Craig Levein's poor beginning to the qualifying campaign but McGhee, who has joined new manager Gordon Strachan, still holds hope.
"It seems to me the World Cup has almost been totally written off," said McGhee.
"I'm far enough away not to fully appreciate the gravity of the situation we are in.
"But with six games to go there surely must still be hope."
He added: "The reality is you are always building for the next one. Every game, you are building for the future because the players are getting more experience and so on.
"There's always a development job, but there are also six games to go in the current campaign.
"Without getting carried away, there's no doubt in my mind if we win the Wales game everybody would feel different."
Scotland next World Cup qualifier is against Wales, who sit a point above them, on March 22 at Hampden Park prior to the March 26 trip to third-placed Serbia.
