Our media would rather fix the problems at Ibrox than focus on those at Hampden.

Congratulations are in order, I guess.

Scotland managed a victory last night at Hampden, beating a 10-man side with one of their only shots on target. A win is a win, of course, but it wasn’t one that keeps us in with any real chance of progression from this group. That would have required a touch more adventure—and a second goal.

Still, it’s three points, and I suppose we should be grateful for small mercies. At least the fans got to see their team secure a win.

The Scotsman has a headline declaring that “Scotland are back in business.” Let’s put this in perspective. Scotland have won one game after a dismal run of 15 without a victory. Back in business? What does that even mean?

Winning on Monday and the next two after that? I’m struck by the willingness of the media to forgive Steve Clarke, and all those suddenly celebrating him today.

I’m happy for Scotland fans who couldn’t have endured another dismal performance with yet another dismal result at the end of it.

They deserved a win, and they got it. But my view on Clarke hasn’t changed one bit. As I said before the game, it wasn’t inconceivable that we’d get a result and then slip right back into another long stretch without a victory. The media, which forgave him all 15 of those previous games, would no doubt go along with it again until the next win.

Here’s the problem with this. It’s not just about Clarke. It’s about the low standards we accept in Scottish football. Fifteen games without a win, and yet he’s still in a job. A club manager would have been sacked twice over for that record. Any other national association would have given him his marching orders after the Euros. But not this one.

His team is dire to watch. His selections are baffling.

Yes, he’s working with limited resources, but so are many national coaches. None of them would survive a record like that. They’d have been sent packing, and rightly so. Yet here, one win and the narrative shifts. Isn’t it astonishing how little we seem to care about the reputation of our country? About standards? About accountability?

Here’s the real kicker: why do so many people in the media seem more invested in the crisis at Ibrox than the plight of the national team? If you polled them now, 80% would probably say Philippe Clement should be sacked. Ask them about the Ibrox board, and 100% would say it’s failing and should step aside for one that is more competent. That’s a club issue—a private matter for the Ibrox fans and the fools sinking their money into it.

And yet, the media wades in, promoting its own candidates for Clement’s job, demanding the Ibrox board take action, calling their form a disgrace.

Why do these so-called media professionals care so much about what happens there but not about the state of the national team? Why is it acceptable to stand by a manager who has just scraped his first win in 16 games? Why isn’t there pressure on the SFA, the organisation that has allowed this shamble to continue unchecked?

The SFA is responsible for the utterly impoverished state of the national team. There’s no talent pipeline, no top-class players coming through for at least half a dozen positions. They can’t even organise a reserve league to aid youth development. The SFA is as incompetent as the Ibrox board, just as wasteful, just as bad at appointing managers and sticking with them long past their sell-by date. But where’s the outrage?

When it comes to their club, the pundits are willing to raise hell, ask hard questions, and demand solutions. Sure, they overindulge in fantasy and lunatic theories, but at least they care. They’re not above scorching the earth around people standing in the way of progress.

So why, then, are so many rallying around Steve Clarke now? It’s nauseating. I care about the national team. I don’t want to see it continue on this trajectory. I don’t want the Tartan Army to travel to games knowing they’ll watch insipid, uninspired football.

I’m interested in the fate of Clement because Clement’s situation is amusing in its own way. I’d vote to keep him in the job for five seasons if I could. But do I care? No, he’s just another face in the Ibrox dugout, another in their parade of losers.

When it comes to the national team, I care deeply. I care that our governing bodies are failing us. I care that they’re holding the game back, that they’ve done nothing to improve youth development or the overall health of our game.

And yet, I don’t see the same fire from the media when it comes to the SFA. If you went through a list of Scottish journalists, you’d barely find any calling for Clarke’s head. Compare that to the chorus of criticism aimed at Clement, and it’s glaringly obvious: they care what happens at Ibrox, but they couldn’t care less about what happens at Hampden and we should all ponder that. We should all take a moment to let that sink in.

This is why Scottish football is in such a mess.