Provan article today. Steve Clarke emerged from car crash Euro 2020 campaign unscathed – he’s getting far easier ride than his predecessors

Provan is spot on here. Clarke is a dinosaur and completely risk averse. A must win against the Czechs and he picks a defensive line up. Clueless.
 
KensingtonBlue said:
He’s a limited manager but Scotland’s squad is utter garbage.

Bar 2 or 3 exceptions there is no quality to work with. No one is achieving anything with that team.
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McLaughlin
Patterson ? ? Tierney/Robertson
McGinn Gilmour ?
? Adams ?

Its not brilliant, but there's more than 2 or 3 pieces if a manager will pick them. Not many more, granted
 
I have nothing really against Steve Clarke, but he is dining out on that back door penalty shoot out win in Serbia.

There’s been little or no quantifiable improvement in our fortunes or our football since he took over, however, in the absence of anyone more credible (McInnes? o_O) it looks like we’re stuck with him until he inevitably fails to steer us into the World Cup.
 
Credit to Peace Process Provo, he’s called it right. As I’ve said for weeks the Tranny Army have been dining on a 0-0 draw with England when their team was papped out, while England made it to the finals

He’s still a bitter twisted lady's front bottom though
 
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He’s correct but has he he ever written a positive piece about anything Scottish football has to offer?
 
Buffalobluebear said:
Credit to Peace Process Provo, he’s called it right. As I’ve said for weeks the Tranny Army have been dining on a 0-0 draw with England when their team was papped out, while they made it to the finals

He’s still a bitter twisted lady's front bottom though
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Post 55, whilst an epic number, who had that in the sweepstake?
 
Spiderman said:
That game against us must have been the easiest Modric has ever played in.

Clarke allowed him to swan around the park unmarked.
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And the media hailed him after the Wembley bore fest as a tactical guru. If England had a proper football manager in the dugout instead of Southgate it would have been 4 or 5 nil.
 
Clarke was a joke. Fecked it in the first game. Could have been on 4pts after 2 games had he got it right. Persisted with a strikeforce that couldnt score in a barrel of fannys after not even playing them together when needed.
 
Qualifying for a finals was a big thing for Scotland. it was something we hadn't done for 20-odd years. Though the part Big Eck played in it has been largely overlooked.

We haven't had the players to compete at the top level. For example, losing to Croatia wasn't a shock result.

Clarke hasn't done brilliantly but he was in charge when we qualified and drawing away to a team like England was a good result by any reckoning.

We'll see how he does from now on. There will be a few changes to the team with Gilmour being the obvious one but we're still short of real quality e.g. at centre-back.
 
BrotherMoses said:
Whoops, put Jack by mistake :D many gilmour of course
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To be honest, I don't think Jack should play for Scotland in the future unless we can be sure that his body can take the strain.
He is just too vital to Rangers.
That said, I don't see why Scotland should have three centre-backs, it instantly makes the team set up negative.
A midfield that included Jack, Gilmour and McTominay is capable of screening the centre backs whilst the full-backs get forward.

As for the front line, I would never have a player who has a low skill level playing in a forward position at this level, so the big Dykes doesn't get near my team.
McGinn if anything should be given a number ten role and allowed to support someone like Adams.
 
Clarke should have walked after that disgraceful and embarrassing first game. An absolute abomination of a manager, who offers nothing to the game.

I agrre with Provan, Gilmour first name down, followed by Patterson. Time our national team was built around young, athletic, and modern players, not cart horses who take five attempts to control a ball, even though they are paid professionals who should have have mastered even the basics. Get rid of the wasters in positions of authority, clutching onto their nice comfy jobs, with their old pals. Get new blood in, from abroad. It's time this country moved with the times and that involves hiring forward thinking individuals, not clowns stuck in the past with a losing mentality. Losers.
 
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bilkobear said:
To be honest, I don't think Jack should play for Scotland in the future unless we can be sure that his body can take the strain.
He is just too vital to Rangers.
That said, I don't see why Scotland should have three centre-backs, it instantly makes the team set up negative.
A midfield that included Jack, Gilmour and McTominay is capable of screening the centre backs whilst the full-backs get forward.

As for the front line, I would never have a player who has a low skill level playing in a forward position at this level, so the big Dykes doesn't get near my team.
McGinn if anything should be given a number ten role and allowed to support someone like Adams.
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Bang on Bliko. I get it that players still want caps. The Scotland -England game was a highlight for me from the early 60s and I was still interested until the anti Rangers rhetoric came into play, now I couldn’t care less. Different for players, but I hope Ryan Jack does stay away.

And despite being a prick of the highest order, Provan gets it right. Clarke has had an astonishingly easy ride from the Scottish MSM
 
Absolutely spot on with that article. The way Alex Mcleish was basically hounded out of the job by michael stewart and others is in complete contrast with the easy ride clarke gets from most of the media. If it hadnt been for results Mcleish got scotland wouldnt even of been at the euros.
 
55 and counting said:
Steve Clarkes record is terrible whe you analyse it. Qualifying for the Euros is a bare minimum for any Scotland manager from now in imo as its really quite easy to get in now it’s 24. More so if they go ahead and put it to 32. Success for Scotland manager now would be getting a WC a much harder task. He won't get close.
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It really is, a lot is made about how long we went unbeaten but we didn't really play any decent teams in that period. We also only won a few during that period.

Right now I think our record is about 1 win in 10 or 11 and that win was against 10 man Luxembourg. I suspect we'll be out of world cup qualifying by the end of September.

We might not lose as many as we used to but we barely win.

Clarke has built a solid base but it is time to move on to a more progressive manager and try and play actual football, instead of Clarkey-hoofbaw.
 
Clarke did just about as well as every side we've had which was apparently packed full of superstars in the past. Don't get me wrong, I know we maybe one a game or two in the past but we've never got by the first round so it isn't as if he's underachieved in comparison to historic performances.
 
jweebear said:
Celtic SFA mafia protecting him Provo, just say it son
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I disagree. This one is on the Tartan Trannies who accept glorious failure continually.

I am not saying the SFA isn't rhat infested - and he may get an easier time because of his religion. But, failure is failure.
 
Mac72 said:
It really is, a lot is made about how long we went unbeaten but we didn't really play any decent teams in that period. We also only won a few during that period.

Right now I think our record is about 1 win in 10 or 11 and that win was against 10 man Luxembourg. I suspect we'll be out of world cup qualifying by the end of September.

We might not lose as many as we used to but we barely win.

Clarke has built a solid base but it is time to move on to a more progressive manager and try and play actual football, instead of Clarkey-hoofbaw.
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Scotland are already out of the WC, all that is left is the final denouement.
Clarke's failure at the Euros should have seen him get his jotters.
 
bilkobear said:
To be honest, I don't think Jack should play for Scotland in the future unless we can be sure that his body can take the strain.
He is just too vital to Rangers.
That said, I don't see why Scotland should have three centre-backs, it instantly makes the team set up negative.
A midfield that included Jack, Gilmour and McTominay is capable of screening the centre backs whilst the full-backs get forward.

As for the front line, I would never have a player who has a low skill level playing in a forward position at this level, so the big Dykes doesn't get near my team.
McGinn if anything should be given a number ten role and allowed to support someone like Adams.
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Replied to you earlier Bilko, complimentary. Unfortunately the auld eyes are going and I called you Bliko! New user name?
 
article honestly feels like Provan has a FF login and has just looked at what everyone was saying during the Euros on here
 
dh1963 said:
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.
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Absolutely dh. He IS a wee prick! But you’re right, for once he’s called it correctly and called the charlatan out
 
100% correct.We where crap despite having some very good players.
Negative formation,negative tactics and being loyal to players who are simply not good enough.
His brand of football was from the 80's tbh.Lump it up for the big guy to win free kicks,flick ons etc.
 
I've said it for a while scotland actually have some decent options but are held back by a manager who sees a draw as a good result, should have beat Austria at hampden but shat it when with 2 forwards we were on top he took one off then got lucky with a late mcginn goal.
 
When we scraped into it and the fixtures were finalised, it was obvious that the first game was the "must win".

Clarke went 5-4-1. Our "dangerman" was Andy Robertson.
We were absolutely rank rotten. Particularly Stephen O'Donnell.

He then put out a more forward thinking team against England.

This reminded me of the infamous 4-6-0 in Prague..............followed a couple of days later when Levein played 2 up against Spain. Made no sense.

Although not as good a team as the one that reached the WC final - Croatia was always going to be difficult.

He chose Christie and McGregor - who were both absolute garbage for Celtic last year.

Gilmour became the new saviour - yet, wasn't considered good enough for the first game against the Czechs.

And when Clarke did make changes - it was too little, too late.

As well as Clarke, his backroom team must be scrutinised. English born Irishman - Steven Reid and John "Bobby Robson fanclub" Carver. Oh and the Celtic goalie coach (what a fine job he is doing).

For his many, many faults - at least wee Bertie Vogts put out teams to try and WIN games.
 
Clarke got an easy ride at qualifiers with EUFA adopting an "As many as possible deserves a kick of the ball attitude", I never seen reaching the finals as a big thing as we were more or less given an easy ride but when a step up was needed a mixture of Clarkes inability to pick the best players, use decent tactics, and general football awareness was shown. He is a hopeless manager who got a bit of success at Killie based on a plastic pitch, refs who lets players kick the shit out of other teams, and Boyds goals.
 
ca100 said:
Why do columnists like provan and Ferguson need to write in single sentence paragraphs?

But I agree with what he's written here, Clarke got off massively from the fans and press up here. Especially when you look at the grief Mcleish took.
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There is a blindingly obvious reason for this.
 
bilkobear said:
To be honest, I don't think Jack should play for Scotland in the future unless we can be sure that his body can take the strain.
He is just too vital to Rangers.
That said, I don't see why Scotland should have three centre-backs, it instantly makes the team set up negative.
A midfield that included Jack, Gilmour and McTominay is capable of screening the centre backs whilst the full-backs get forward.

As for the front line, I would never have a player who has a low skill level playing in a forward position at this level, so the big Dykes doesn't get near my team.
McGinn if anything should be given a number ten role and allowed to support someone like Adams.
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He will always play 3 at the back as it means he can shoehorn Tierney and Robertson into the same team. I would rather a back 4 and would play Tierney and Patterson as the full backs. Robertson just isnt very good for Scotland.
 
Thornliebank_Bear said:
It is a good article when you watch the final you just think what on earth are we so scared of there were no great teams at the tourney we could have picked up points or even beaten any side. Italy won it no one really believes they are a top side with great players.

I thought before it started 2 games and the best away fixture we could hope for against a top nation because of the history/ derby match, players from same league, this is set up perfectly.

Scotland should have done so much better the problem is another scottish manager may do exactly the same in future. Too feart too much respect for the opposition they are foreign so they must be magic. Even if someone like Moyes takes it i expect the same issue.

Only one thing Provan wont admit he wanted two strikers, he says, but spent the friendly against Luxembourg before the euros slagging the 2 players up front that played and linked up well even if they both missed a few chances.
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We scraped past Luxembourg in that warm up game. We're dug meat mate.
 
If they sack Clarke will wee baldy Dornan be on claiming it is anti-cafolik bias rather than the manager being a dour unadventurous tosspot, who would rather see us not lose than win.
His whole managerial career has been built on not getting beat and scrapping the odd win, a sour faced alky bam.
 
The incessant media campaign for Clarke, the same for Malky McKay, got him the gig at the SFA, just like the media's endless sniping at Smudger forced him out of the same association.
 
Proven is completely correct in this article (a rarity) but just like many in his field he doesn't give any of his opinions on what needs to be done to fix the problem. Not brave enough Davie?

The core problem with Scotland today is the same problem that has been going on for the best part of 30 years, Coaching at youth football level. It's still in the jurassic age and the SFA clearly are not interested in solving this issue anytime soon. We got a draw at Wembley and that will do fine as far as they are concerned. The media are also complicit in this shambles.

Just look at how they celebrated that draw like we had won the competition. Pathetic tinpot behaviour and sadly the latest sign that the current predicament will continue for the foreseeable. Grim stuff
 
Hallelujah
About time someone stated the obvious.
This prick is getting an easy ride because of his leanings.
Look at the shit big Eck took and let’s be honest Eck did the hard part in getting us to the Euros by winning the nations league group.
This dick only won 2 ties and even then he nearly fucked that up.

ive said since Scotland exited that a serious nation with a serious FA would have handed him his jotters the morning after the Croatia game.
In fact any decent person would have walked after that failure so it says a lot about the mans character.
Just look at the Dutch FA and FdB.
No nonsense or fucking around.
 
Fifercolt said:
Agree with every word. Thing is, from the moment the team selection was read out against the Czechs I don’t know anyone who thought that would work.
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Clarke's whole ethos is to try and stop teams from playing. That worked well for him at Kilmarnock. He has no sence of a team trying to attack. He floods his midfield with players, and usually only a sole striker. It's defence,defence, defence. That's why we didn't have a go at the European Championships.
 
That's probably the best piece he has ever written, the czech game for me told alot pedestrian boring and too cautious, however we all knew Clarke would get an easy ride in this Republic, but he's nailed him and he's clearly done his homework on the gilmour scenario as well, credit to him for him coming out with this, all that was missed was the o'donnell old pals act.
 
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