A first time for everything, I find myself agreeing with the turncoat wee pr1ck.
AHEAD of next weekend’s Premiership kick-off, no apologies for revisiting Scotland’s performance in the Euros.
Not sure how he’s done it, but Steve Clarke seems to have emerged from a car-crash campaign unscathed.
One point from nine? One goal in three games? In the serious football countries that’s enough to get the coach his jotters.
Not here in la-la land where some are still dining out on that scoreless draw at Wembley.
The finals proved Scotland are still miles behind the big boys but, tell you what, we’re world champions when it comes to celebrating failure.
Before the tournament SFA chief Ian Maxwell was talking about an extension to Clarke’s contract. I’ll bet he’s glad he didn’t jump in.
Maxwell should have had Clarke in his office after the defeat to Croatia for a rollicking.
Clarke has slipped off the hook because we matched England on their own patch on a night Billy Gilmour ran the game on his first start.
The Scotland coach can take no credit for Gilmour’s international emergence. But for Covid, Gilmour would have been watching the England game on the telly.
Clarke didn’t think the midfielder was good enough to make his original 23-man squad. Only when Uefa allowed another three wild cards did Gilmour get the nod.
That sums up Clarke perfectly, he’s never been one to take a chance. Risk and reward don’t figure in his thinking.
The most winnable game of the three was the Czech Republic at Hampden, but Clarke couldn’t bring himself to go with two strikers.
Only when we were behind and chasing the game did Che Adams get on the pitch. Gilmour watched the 90 minutes from the bench.
When Clarke had no choice but to play two up top and give Gilmour his first start at Wembley, we looked like a proper team.
The Scotland boss is getting an easy ride compared to predecessors.
When Ally MacLeod returned from Argentina with a win, draw and a defeat the Tartan Army wanted him flogged. Clarke is getting his back slapped for taking one point from nine.
Some reckon we lacked tournament nous having been locked out of high octane competition since 1998.
They may be right, but one thing’s for sure, Scotland will never be offered an easier route to the knockout stage of the Euros.
Remember, we didn’t qualify the hard way. We got a back door pass via the Nations League. Uefa bent over backwards helping Scotland.
If Gareth Southgate won the lottery with six of seven games at Wembley, Clarke was quids in as well.
Two home games against the Czech Republic and Croatia offered Scotland a ticket to the latter stages. It was more difficult to get knocked out of the competition than stay in.
For me, any team finishing third in a four-team group should be packing their bags.
But Uefa wants everyone leaving the party with a balloon, meaning Scotland could still qualify with a win over Croatia in the last game.
Hard to believe a 1-0 win over Luka Modric’s gang would have seen us in the knockouts having scored just twice in three games. Santa Claus must be running things in Nyon. Even then we still couldn’t get over the line.
Clarke has to have a serious rethink ahead of September’s World Cup ties.
For starters, Gilmour has to be one of the first names on his team-sheet. If Luis Enrique has confidence in 18-year-old Barcelona kid Pedri shouldn’t Clarke be trusting 20-year-old Champions League winner Gilmour?
Nathan Patterson should also be judged on ability not his age.
Clarke’s over-cautious approach has us in trouble for Qatar 2022.
It took a late John McGinn goal to salvage a point in the opening qualifier against Austria on a night Adams was parked on the bench again.
When we should have been imposing ourselves as the home side, Scotland were timid.
Another two points spilled in Israel three days later didn’t do us any favours either.
With Denmark up next Scotland will have to find a gear they didn’t have at the Euros.
I’d rather see us lose having a go than go down on the back foot.
AHEAD of next weekend’s Premiership kick-off, no apologies for revisiting Scotland’s performance in the Euros.
Not sure how he’s done it, but Steve Clarke seems to have emerged from a car-crash campaign unscathed.
One point from nine? One goal in three games? In the serious football countries that’s enough to get the coach his jotters.
Not here in la-la land where some are still dining out on that scoreless draw at Wembley.
The finals proved Scotland are still miles behind the big boys but, tell you what, we’re world champions when it comes to celebrating failure.
Before the tournament SFA chief Ian Maxwell was talking about an extension to Clarke’s contract. I’ll bet he’s glad he didn’t jump in.
Maxwell should have had Clarke in his office after the defeat to Croatia for a rollicking.
Clarke has slipped off the hook because we matched England on their own patch on a night Billy Gilmour ran the game on his first start.
The Scotland coach can take no credit for Gilmour’s international emergence. But for Covid, Gilmour would have been watching the England game on the telly.
Clarke didn’t think the midfielder was good enough to make his original 23-man squad. Only when Uefa allowed another three wild cards did Gilmour get the nod.
That sums up Clarke perfectly, he’s never been one to take a chance. Risk and reward don’t figure in his thinking.
The most winnable game of the three was the Czech Republic at Hampden, but Clarke couldn’t bring himself to go with two strikers.
Only when we were behind and chasing the game did Che Adams get on the pitch. Gilmour watched the 90 minutes from the bench.
When Clarke had no choice but to play two up top and give Gilmour his first start at Wembley, we looked like a proper team.
The Scotland boss is getting an easy ride compared to predecessors.
When Ally MacLeod returned from Argentina with a win, draw and a defeat the Tartan Army wanted him flogged. Clarke is getting his back slapped for taking one point from nine.
Some reckon we lacked tournament nous having been locked out of high octane competition since 1998.
They may be right, but one thing’s for sure, Scotland will never be offered an easier route to the knockout stage of the Euros.
Remember, we didn’t qualify the hard way. We got a back door pass via the Nations League. Uefa bent over backwards helping Scotland.
If Gareth Southgate won the lottery with six of seven games at Wembley, Clarke was quids in as well.
Two home games against the Czech Republic and Croatia offered Scotland a ticket to the latter stages. It was more difficult to get knocked out of the competition than stay in.
For me, any team finishing third in a four-team group should be packing their bags.
But Uefa wants everyone leaving the party with a balloon, meaning Scotland could still qualify with a win over Croatia in the last game.
Hard to believe a 1-0 win over Luka Modric’s gang would have seen us in the knockouts having scored just twice in three games. Santa Claus must be running things in Nyon. Even then we still couldn’t get over the line.
Clarke has to have a serious rethink ahead of September’s World Cup ties.
For starters, Gilmour has to be one of the first names on his team-sheet. If Luis Enrique has confidence in 18-year-old Barcelona kid Pedri shouldn’t Clarke be trusting 20-year-old Champions League winner Gilmour?
Nathan Patterson should also be judged on ability not his age.
Clarke’s over-cautious approach has us in trouble for Qatar 2022.
It took a late John McGinn goal to salvage a point in the opening qualifier against Austria on a night Adams was parked on the bench again.
When we should have been imposing ourselves as the home side, Scotland were timid.
Another two points spilled in Israel three days later didn’t do us any favours either.
With Denmark up next Scotland will have to find a gear they didn’t have at the Euros.
I’d rather see us lose having a go than go down on the back foot.
