The 110 official footballing battles between England and Scotland have provided some of the most enduring images in the world's most popular game.

Some were truly inspiring, such as Paul Gascoigne's famous goal in Euro 96 when he chipped the ball over Scotland defender Colin Hendry and volleyed into the net.

Others were as unpredictable as they were uplifting, such as Scotland's win at Wembley in 1967 when they took on Sir Alf Ramsey's recently-crowned world champions and defeated them 3-2, a victory which saw Scots supporters claiming - tongue in cheek - that they were the real world champions.

Some live in the memory for other reasons, the 1977 encounter at Wembley being a classic example with the Scottish fans ripping up large sections of the pitch and tearing down the goalposts following a 2-1 victory.

Ever since the first official encounter took place in 1872 the fixture has never failed to deliver passion, intrigue and stirring action.

In all likelihood Wednesday's fixture at Wembley, the first since 1999 when Scotland beat England 1-0 but lost on aggregate in the play-offs for Euro 2000, will be no different.

This, after all, is the fixture which gave football its first international rivalry and as such can claim to have opened the gates to the World Cup, the European Championships and all the other international tournaments which have become an integral part of the footballing calendar.

Yet for all the history and tradition, there remains an unpalatable truth: England and Scotland are no longer at the cutting edge of international football.

Scotland have not qualified for the European Championships since 1996 nor the World Cup since 1998. They have never been past the first round at a finals competition.

True, they have provided the occasional moment of magic such as Archie Gemmell's brilliant solo goal against Holland at the 1978 World Cup, but in the hard currency of meaningful tournament victories they have consistently come up short.

England's record is better, but for a nation with 10 times the population of Scotland and with a Premier League which is the richest and most influential on the planet, it still pales in football terms with the best on offer.

England's sole World Cup win came at home in 1966. The team reached the semi-finals in Italy in 1990 and managed the same stage at Euro 96, but despite tens of millions spent on foreign managers such as Sven Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello in recent times, the truth is England look second-rate when it comes to challenging the likes of Brazil, Germany, Italy and Spain.

The reasons for the demise of both football nations are complex but they do share one common theme, namely the dearth of emerging talent with the technique and nous required at international level.

The influx of foreign stars in the Premier League has squeezed the opportunities for young English wannabes, while the once-bountiful conveyor belt of sublime Scottish talent from north to south appears to have dried up almost completely.

Where are the likes of Dave McKay, Denis Law, Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness, Charlie Nicholas, Gordon McQueen these days? Top stars playing for top clubs no longer appear to hail from north of the border.

A lack of competition was the main reason for the demise of the Home Championship, the oldest international football tournament, in 1984. Yet when the players run out at Wembley on Wednesday, we will be reminded of what this fixture is all about.

Neither England nor Scotland will treasure the ball like the maestros of Spain. There will not be the swashbuckling rhythm and tempo which characterises teams from Brazil and Argentina. There will not be the ruthless efficiency of the Germans either.

Instead there will be industry aplenty and passion to burn from two nations which did more than most to give football its tribal nature.

There is no such thing as a friendly between England and Scotland. It matters. No doubt about that. And this one is more crucial than most with World Cup qualifiers approaching in September and October.

Yet England lie 14th in the current FIFA world rankings while Scotland come in 50th.

There is no getting away from it: England and Scotland, teams who once led the world when it came to international football, now trail some way behind the finest.