Apart from being spared the media euphoria over the result at Celtic Park last week—because it wasn’t in Glasgow—I was also spared the inevitable euphoria over Scotland’s performance in Greece. Or rather, let me put it another way: I was spared the euphoria over Scotland’s result in Greece, not the performance so much, because from what I’ve been led to believe, it wasn’t particularly good.
Still, they at least got that result. Progressing through the tie depended on getting another one at Hampden tonight, and that didn’t go nearly so well. It was 3-0 going on a lot more because Greece could, at one point in the game, have scored at will—and no result would have seemed too ridiculous during that spell.
What does it mean for Steve Clarke? Well, it’s a question we’ve answered on this blog several times before. Steve Clarke should not be Scotland manager right now. He should have gone at the end of the Euros, especially after the embarrassment of that final game where we needed a win and didn’t even register a shot on target. Everything about the performance at the Euros was abysmal, and it was bookended by a long run of games without a win.
Tonight’s defeat relegates us from our Nations League elite group and, you know, even as a football obsessive, I’m not entirely sure what that means—or if I care that much. Because I think the whole Nations League concept is pretty ridiculous and pretty abysmal. It’s led to far too many fortnights like this one, where there is no club football at all and we’re all stuck waiting for these inevitably dreary Scotland games to come around.
As I say, my enthusiasm for Scotland has faded. Most obviously as a result of coming out of the Euros with such disappointment and anger at the performance of not only the manager but the team itself. It’s very hard to get motivated to watch them at this moment in time.
Every problem with the Steve Clarke version of Scotland was on full display tonight. Every single one of them. We ended the game with a team shape I couldn’t even comprehend. We ended it with three strikers on the field, which was a change from having four central midfielders on it when the game started. We still didn’t look as if we had any natural width. At one point, Kieran Tierney came on and played as a left-sided attacking midfielder. The incoherence of it is infuriating.
I’ve said before, Clarke has fallen victim to something that some international coaches do—and something a few club managers do as well, though it’s not as prevalent in the club game. Because if you feel short in a couple of positions at club level, you can go out and sign players. International managers have to work with what they’ve got at hand. They can’t go out and make signings.
If they could, we might be able to find a striker capable of scoring consistently for the national side. And it’s one of our most embarrassing failures as a country that Scotland has not produced a striker at the elite level. As a Celtic fan, I find it particularly embarrassing that our club hasn’t done it, because throughout our history we’ve been able to turn out good strikers as a matter of routine.
Managers work with the best they have, in every effort to build a coherent framework. Scotland’s two problems are that we have, on one side of the pitch, a handful of exceptional left backs, and we happen to be blessed with some pretty good central midfield talent as well. Clarke is loath to leave any of these guys out of the squad, which is why you had both Andy Robertson and Tierney on the left tonight at one point, and we started the game with McTominay, Gilmour, McLean, and McGinn all in the starting eleven.
Aside from the central midfielders who were on the pitch at the start of the game, he also had Lewis Ferguson and Lennon Miller both sitting on the bench. There’s no natural width in the side. He did play Ryan Christie, but he was playing Christie behind the central striker, Che Adams, whose goalscoring record at international level is awful. Not the manager’s fault, some will argue.
But you know what? We don’t play a style of football that suits Adams—or any of the other strikers in the squad. It’s the reason Adam Idah can’t get off the bench for the Republic of Ireland. It’s not because he can’t score goals; it’s because they don’t play a style of football that suits him, but they pick him anyway.
Are there wide players out there who could play for the national team? Yes, there are several of them at clubs across the country. But he prefers to play the high-profile guys who play in the Premier League and other big leagues around Europe. Which is why the squad has this lopsided look—overstocked in certain positions and absolutely bereft in others. He can’t bear to drop a Billy Gilmour or a Kenny McLean or a John McGinn, no matter what kind of form they’re in, because people in the media—who likewise don’t understand how you’re supposed to construct a squad—would be asking him questions about it.
He left our own attacking midfielder, Luke McCowan, out of the squad—which this blog highlighted when the squad was named, and it had McLean in it, and it had Lennon Miller in it. The thing is, McCowan’s played wide right. McCowan would have at least given us an option to go right, to play the ball wide, with him on one side and Christie on the other. But this is the same choice Clarke could have made last year when Forrest was tearing it up in the latter stages of the season. He was selected for the Euro squad and didn’t even get on the pitch for a minute.
Clarke is wedded to his bling players. He cannot countenance leaving any of them out, and that’s why this Scotland team does not function as it should—or as it could. Instead of sacrificing some of those guys for players who can actually perform in a different system—which means picking some of the lesser-known footballers out there who play for less fashionable clubs—he insists on cramming as many of the name players into this team as he can. And that’s why it makes no sense sometimes when you look at his tactical shape. It is exactly that kind of straightjacket thinking that deserves to get him the sack. To be blunt, it should have come before now.
Scotland fans had to endure humiliation tonight. It ought to be the last time this happens under this guy. The booing at half time was reminiscent of Ibrox earlier in the season when Clement was still fumbling around on the touchline. The boos at full time were very reminiscent of Ibrox later on in Clement’s reign, when the ground was so empty that the boos echoed around it rather than bounced off the walls.
Scotland fans have had enough of this, and they made their feelings known tonight. This whole country has now surely had enough of this, and if those governing our game would just get real for five minutes and take some goddamned responsibility for this mess, they would put the manager—and the rest of us—out of the misery we currently endure.
If he leaves now , he can get the huns job in the summer, that’s his feckin level
The Scummy’s will be touting The Lanarkshire Ned for it no doubt !
Clarke is a clown. And contrary to popular opinion I think John McGinn is an absolute myth!
Also believe CalMacs retirement was two fold, concentrate on club. But also seen the writing on the wall with Clarke and thought “Nah, f@@k this”
Couldn’t care less. Used to be an ardent supporter of the National Team but as I grew older and my eyes were opened to the corruption endemic in our game and the disgustingly rank amateurish behaviour of the SFA with it’s Bowling Club level mindset.
Throw in their pro Tribute Act agenda and definite anti Celtic bigotry that mirrors the small mindedness of many in this nation I got to the point of withdrawing my vocal and financial support to the Game in Scotland. Not one penny either directly or indirectly to the SFA, SPFL, The Scotch meedjia, the National Broadcaster or Commercial Stations. Nada,Zilch.
I stopped attending games at Celtic Park, a silent, meaningless personal protest at the cheating and Celtic’s complicity in the 5Way agreement. I watch Celtic TV, I financially support the Celtic Foundation and our Charities. Likewise I support The Celtic Development Pool, though that seems futile considering the state of our Youth (Non) Development. The Development Pool donated over £1 Million to Celtic last year, where did it go and how much did the Club waste pursuing a failed policy of trying to make ready our young players by sending them to play against part time brickies, sparks, labourers and rejects from higher leagues.
As long as the other 40 or so teams in the SFA structure condone the behaviour of the SFA and its subservient approach in dealing with the 12 year old delinquent Club then count me out. The ludicrous state of our National Team is just another manifestation of the Game’s administrators rank amateurism and I refuse to be complicit in their abuse of power and naked racism and bigotry.
MAGNIFICENT post is that SFATHENADIROFCHIFTINESS !!!
My own thoughts completely and utterly entirely !
Scotland were terrible, a tough watch, the only thing worse was Stephen Naismith analysing it. It’s got to be time for Clarke to go.
Well known Calmac retired from the international setup when he learned Clarke was continuing with gig otherwise he would be playing tonight. Clarke’s system was moreoften alien to CMG and the whipping boy when things went bad
That was horrible tonight. Not a single wide player in the squad, never mind on the pitch. 4 central midfield players, 2 of whom were trying to see who could drop furthest back. Gilmour picked a pass up from the centre half then ran forward 20 yards before passing it back to him. 20 minutes to go and we need 2 goals, he sticks on 2 strikers and sends them both out wide, leaving them nobody to find in the area. His tactics are so negative I can’t stand it. The SFA have to remove him now.
The only planning the SFA masonic lodge will be doing is planning their next jolly to Lichtenstein for the friendly in June.Corrupt orange bastards couldnae run a fuckin bath.
James, awful performance last night, but was always on the cards. Too many players just not good enough eg Handley. Too many players shoehorned in to the team eg Christie. Goalkeeper 41. Yes people will say we have a few injuries, Hickey and Gunn but that is no excuse for the way we set up last night.
This competition is crap it adds no value and disrupts the football league season.
Scotland are B or C level. We punched way above our weight in the group, so we should take some positives of finishing 3rd out of 4.
When I look at that team last night, I would keep
Tierney, McTominay, McGinn, Christie. Possibly Gilmour and Ferguson.
I have not mentioned the young kids like Wilson who has been great for Hearts, that is where we need to go now. Someone needs to come in and be brave, take risks not just play the same pattern we have always played. This team, our style has not progressed since we beat Spain.
The old hands are dead including Robertson and must be left out and Clarke must be relieved off his duties.
Sad night for Scottish football, but we have been here so many times.
A dismal performance, completely dominated by a team whose movement into space off the ball gave the man on the ball all kind of options, they made our players look like cart horses, Under Clarke there is no width or attacking flair whatsoever, he might say that he hasn’t got the players if not, why not? I blame it on the coaching of our young players over the past 4 decades, wingers taking on full backs has been discouraged, Strikers shooting from distance has been discouraged, passing and keeping possession is the be all and end all. There should be room for all these skills in the coaching manual.
Teams stick to rigid systems and most of the systems would bore you to tears.
Even after that moan I’m looking forward to Saturday and getting back to Celtic Park and the football that matters.
I’m like – While I don’t mind them winning – I don’t care a Continental Fuck if they lose…
I wasn’t always like that –
Thank You SFA and Fuck You SFA !
Yep last night was the final straw for me. I was happy enough to let him keep the gig after the Euros to try and qualify for the next WC on the basis he’d got us to the Euro finals twice. NO manager had got us to a tourney even once in the preceding 23 years since France 1998 and he’d got us into League A of the Nations League for the first time so I felt he’d earned the right to continue but last night was shocking.
As you say he’s falling into the trap of picking what most people would say are our 11 “best players” and shoehorning them in rather than picking the “best team” for his preferred formation. Its the reason Spain are Euro Champions and England are not.
Yes we’re not blessed with great central defenders or RBs or CFs but playing players in their natural position is the only way to go even if that means certain players are left on the bench – if anything that means you have a stronger bench to be able to make changes midway through the second half in those midfield positions – where tiredness is most likely to be felt – WITHOUT weakening the team a la Ferguson for McGinn or Gilmour for McTominay etc