Tomorrow night is international night, which means we’re once again cursed to watch this Scotland national team stumble and fumble, desperate to break out of an appalling winless run. It’s extraordinary that this drought has gone on so long without the manager facing the axe because in club football, that would never be tolerated.
No domestic boss in the country would survive a record like this. Just look across the city and you’ll see the pressure on the manager there, or take Stephen Naismith’s recent fate. David Gray at Hibs is practically a dead man walking, likely to be sacked in the coming months. Yet the national coach holds on, despite his poor record, and there’s no sign of change.
This is a topic I’m tired of writing about. I like Steve Clarke on a personal level; he’s a good man and has been a stabilising force. But he hasn’t taken us forward, and his ideas are now stale. Suggesting he’s got some hidden answer to reverse our decline is pure fantasy. We’re well past the point where anyone should believe that.
As the saying goes, “This isn’t show friends, it’s show business.”
Football is ruthless, and it’s a meritocracy. Results matter. And by that standard, Clarke’s record doesn’t justify the faith some still have in him.
One of Scottish football’s chronic problems is that too many in the media seem to think these guys are their mates, there to be defended rather than scrutinised. Meanwhile, national team form has collapsed, and we’re sliding into the abyss. Instead of analysing Clarke’s dismal record, they’re covering for him.
If Scotland loses tomorrow in front of a home crowd, Clarke is out of excuses. There’s no more room to run. He can’t keep claiming the opposition is on a different level as if that justifies an unbearably long winless run.
After the last round of internationals, I was stunned to see journalists defending him based on “improved performances.” That kind of talk wouldn’t wash in club football. When Philippe Clement claimed his team had played their best game against Aberdeen—one they lost—he was laughed at, and rightly so. The notion that Clarke should be treated differently to Celtic’s Rodgers or Clement across the city is ludicrous.
Frankly, I’m relieved that only a handful of Celtic players are involved with the national side right now. I don’t want our players mixed up in this mess, or to be blamed for the ongoing disaster. Some in the press even claim Tony Ralston’s inclusion contributes to our form, so I’m glad fewer Celtic players are on hand to shoulder the burden for a manager who’s failing utterly.
Steve Clarke is all out of alibis. If he can’t deliver a win in this game, he should do the honourable thing and step aside. If he doesn’t, then the SFA must do the right thing. Asking Scotland fans to keep watching this, and especially when these games result in the suspension of all club football is an insult to the game.
Clarke is in the same boat as Clement. You can’t watch how Scotland plays, or the lack of any real Plan B, and think this can continue. Even if he wins the next two games, it’s only a short-term fix. We’d likely go right back to another winless streak. The Clarke experiment has failed. It’s over, and all that’s left is for someone to step up and say so.
Tomorrow, it’s Croatia at Hampden, and then Poland on Monday in Warsaw.
Frankly, Clarke shouldn’t still have the job. If we don’t win tomorrow, he shouldn’t be on the plane to Poland. And if, by some miracle, he makes it to Warsaw and still can’t pull off a win, his next move should be clearing out his desk. If the mainstream press wants to keep backing him after that, they’ll be out of step with just about every Scotland fan.
This situation has dragged on too long. It’s farcical to pretend we’re improving under Clarke. He should be given clear terms—four points minimum from these two games or it’s goodbye. Surely even the SFA has a limit to how much it can tolerate in terms of standards. But somehow, we never seem to hit that limit, do we?
Maybe this break will finally bring change. But for the media to demand the Ibrox manager’s head while our national team is left to deteriorate is indefensible. Clement deserves his share of criticism, and I’m enjoying seeing him squirm, but any association with an ounce of backbone would have made this decision after the Euros.
If they had, we’d have a new manager who would already be five or six games into his tenure. Right now, we’re just delaying the inevitable, to no one’s benefit.
Long overdue that he stepped down or was asked to vacate his position.
It had been a gradual decline but now we are at the point the team are in freefall off the side of a cliff.
His tactics are extremely poor, his ability to identify players outside of his usual selections is non existent.
The national teams needs fresh blood in the coaching staff & the playing staff. The fact players who in reality have never done anything of significance in the Scotland shirt continually get selected (mainly because they either play in the Prem, Cahmpionship or the Ibrox team).
We never look at Scottish players who are playing abroad. Gauld getting into the squad now but being omitted back when he was being voted player of the year in Portugal despite his club being relegated is a joke. We have good players in Europe but either Clarke can’t be arsed going to see them or the SFA are funding the scouting of potential selection options.
The fact so many players who are eligible to play but still reject the approach from Scotland is also evident of his ability to persuade people to make the decision. They would rather not play internationally full stop.
The only issue with sacking Clarke is who is his replacement. Moyes is the obvious choice of who is available but would he really bring anything all that fresh. Maybe some clearer tactics but the style of play wouldn’t be any better.
Likely if we want to play expansive football we need a foreign manager or for me, & it’s not correct to speak of a manager who is under the cosh & expecting them to get sacked soon. I would probably say we should be looking at Russell Martin if he is sacked by Southampton. He is still young but I think he will struggle to get another job where he can apply his style of play & have a squad that can in theory utilise them effectively.
Robertson, McGregor, McCowan, McTominay, McGinn & many others play in attacking squads so it’s no wonder when they end up in the Scotland squad it’s flat as they are playing a negative style to what they play for there respective clubs.
I think that’s one of the reasons Callum quit the National Side. The difference in positivity and style from Clarke to their club bosses is almost the polar opposite, and must negatively affect their mindsets.
I booked one way tickets for the Euros as I hoped we would qualify and I would be staying on for another week or two. I was devastated at Clarke’s cowardice in the final game against a team below our level, followed by his refusal to front up and explain what happened to the Tartan Army.
The next day I went across the street to my local in Stuutgart wearing jeans and a teeshirt as I was too embarrassed to be seen in my kilt. My new German friends persuaded me to go back and put my kilt on as they said “for the Tartan Army, not the team” which I did and they wouldn’t let me buy a drink all day!
Since then I’ve stopped going to Scotland matches even though Hampden’s 20 minutes walk from my house. It’s not something I ever thought I’d do since my first Scotland match in 1969 v Cyprus. I can’t read, watch or listen to anything Clarke or his clone Carver say, as it’s an utterly depressing and negative message they keep uttering.
As for the media supporting Clarke, could that be because they fear McInnes will replace him rather than replace Clement?
Only a new manager would tempt me to go back.
It’ll be McMinginess. Not.
The Ibrox Board are adamant that Philip Philip will not be sacked.
The Belgian Waffler is here for the long haul and the knuckledraggers will need to accept it.
They CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY HIM OFF.
The Board will need to trim more fat , a lot more fat off the wages bill before they are on an even keel and UEFA FSR Compliant They have no choice in this matter.
If they give in to the fans on this then they need to find ( from the fuck where came the loud cackle ) the money for Klemmont’s & his backroom squad’s leaving do plus a significant Transfer Budget for the poor fool who succeeds Nosferatu.
It’s that critical. They are Friar Tucked.
Not too fussed too much about Scotland these days…
Certainly don’t want them to lose –
But won’t shed a million tears if they do !