Steve Clarke's Scotland have served him well but their race may be run

The Guardian

24-03-2025

That familiarity breeds contempt towards managers can be unfair. That certainly applies to Steve Clarke, who has raised levels with Scotland to the point where qualifying for tournaments has become reality as opposed to a pipe dream. Clarke has been the head coach to end years in the international wilderness.
There is, however, a slightly ominous feel around the Scotland setup once more. Defeat by Greece – a rising force – can happen. What should not transpire is the comprehensive thumping dished out at Hampden Park on Sunday. Scotland looked utterly unprepared for what they faced. Theirs was a ragged, disjointed display.
Clarke has made it pretty obvious he views the World Cup campaign as his last. Another shot at club management is in his thoughts. Having been in the role since 2019, that familiarity consequence has the Tartan Army glancing towards a fresh start. Clarke's employers have no excuse for not having a succession plan; in the absence of an available Scotland-based head coach of the calibre required to lead the national team, it is going to have to broaden horizons. Clarke's raising of the bar has consequences for his replacement. The Scottish Football Association is going to have to break with tradition and think big.
The Greece debacle felt like a line in the sand. It was similar in that respect to Scotland's final game at Euro 2024, where the lack of attacking intent against Hungary angered supporters. Clarke had recovered from that night in Stuttgart courtesy of a strong finish to the Nations League. Greece at Hampden ate up a lot of that goodwill. If Scotland start World Cup qualifying poorly, the mood will quickly turn toxic.
Clarke's reference to a lack of 'energy' and 'legs' in his team meant something went awry in the planning stage. A Thursday-Sunday two-leg tie is unusual, with the level of travel required inevitably affecting players. Scotland needed to get fine details right after an arduous 1-0 win in Piraeus.
It was apparent at half-time of the second leg that Scotland desperately needed change. Clarke did not implement it; 15 seconds into the second period, Greece had put the tie out of reach. The head coach curiously refuses to deploy Ryan Christie in the midfield role in which he excels at Bournemouth. Lewis Ferguson earns rave reviews captaining Bologna but was left out of that midfield as Kenny McLean started. This is not to decry McLean, a fine servant for his country, but picking a Championship player ahead of someone tipped to move to one of Serie A's top clubs feels nonsensical.
Grant Hanley, Clarke's go-to centre-back, had been a very late substitute in Birmingham's past three League One games. Yet he was relied upon to play 180 minutes against Greece. Anthony Ralston, the right-back, does not start regularly at Celtic.
It would be wrong, however, to focus on Hanley and Ralston. Scotland needed so much more from supposed star turns. Andy Robertson was woeful in the second leg. Che Adams, the centre-forward, has a rather unfortunate habit of not looking remotely dangerous near to goal. John McGinn has flattered to deceive in Scotland colours for a while. Wild excitement over Billy Gilmour is undermined by the fact he is, aged 23, already at club No 3 in search of regular football.
Gilmour is neat and tidy but too much of his play goes backwards or sideways. He also lacks the physicality to adequately screen a defence; a significant problem for Scotland given Christie, McGinn and Scott McTominay want to chase the game. Greece gleefully exposed how open Scotland became.
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Clarke is in a stick-or-twist scenario. This team, who have generally served him so well, may have run their race. Whether he is of a mind to make changes, especially with his time in post apparently ticking down, is open to question.
There is a lack of pace, which leads to overemphasis on Ben Doak. The 19-year-old will have a decent career; some in Scotland portray him as a tartan Messi. Clarke's ability to shake up personnel is undermined by a glaring lack of emerging talent. That much was true when Scotland were qualifying for back-to-back European Championships, it is just that nobody wanted to hear it.
There was wild noise when the 18-year-olds James Wilson and Lennon Miller were selected for the Greece tie. Other countries would think nothing of such a move. Indeed, in the 17-year-old Konstantinos Karetsas, Greece had the most eye-catching player on display at Hampden. Scotland are in the shameful position of not having a goalkeeper deemed capable of replacing the 42-year-old Craig Gordon.
The path towards the World Cup will be rocky for Scotland. Greece have just shown how formidable an opponent they will be. Denmark are seasoned tournament campaigners. Belarus will bring logistical challenges. Clarke has two dicey June friendly matches to lower the temperature around his position. Given the progress of the recent past, this may well be an unjust situation. It is, though, a realistic one. Memories are short in this business.