AS he was grilled by the media about Scotland’s loss to Greece in the second leg of the Nations League play-off in the auditorium deep in the bowels of Hampden last night, Steve Clarke stopped short of going full Lance Corporal Jones and screeching “don’t panic” at his inquisitors.
Yet, Clarke’s assertion that the 3-0 home defeat had, even though it consigned the national team to a 3-1 aggregate reverse and relegation from the top flight of the competition, been nothing more than “a bump in the road” certainly downplayed its significance.
The 61-year-old has, he pointed out, suffered his share of setbacks during the six years he has spent in his position and has recovered from all of them. He remains, despite the paucity of the performance and the furious reaction of the Tartan Army, quietly confident he can address and rectify the issues which led to the wretched collapse before the next competitive fixture.
Will he decide that he needs to freshen things up with a few younger players in the encounter with Denmark away in September? Will he conclude it is time to thank the individuals who have served him so well for so long for all their efforts and look to blood a new generation? Will he have confidence in the old guard’s ability to negotiate six intense fixtures in three months?
This ageing Scotland side has to be a source of concern to him. At the moment, in the immediate aftermath of one of the worst results of his entire tenure, World Cup qualifying looks to be a campaign too far for his Dad’s Army. Reinforcements are required.
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Clarke acknowledged that perhaps he could have made more changes to his starting line-up in the wake of the gruelling first leg against Greece in Piraeus on Thursday night. He dropped midfielder Lewis Ferguson to the bench and brought in Ryan Christie on the right of his threequarter line. That was it.
It was, given that he had Kieran Tierney, Jack Hendry, Scott McKenna and Tommy Conway at his disposal, slightly perplexing.
Grant Hanley hadn’t started for Birmingham City since the Vertu Cup win over Stevenage at the start of February. Was it not inevitable that his first full 90 minutes since November would take a toll on the 33-year-old? He looked like a guy who was lacking match fitness and sharpness.
The Aston Villa midfielder, who turned 30 in October, has helped his club side make it through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League in recent weeks. But is the man who had a desperately disappointing Euro 2024 finals last summer now at a stage in his career where he can no longer be expected to perform twice in the space of four days? It looked like it on Sunday.
Kenny McLean, who won his 50th cap against Greece, was another who struggled to make an impression. Yes, he created what was possibly Scotland’s best scoring opportunity when he picked out McTominay with a defence-piercing, first-time through ball early on. But thereafter the 33-year-old was anonymous.
Even captain Andy Robertson, who turned 31 earlier this week, disappointed greatly. The Liverpool left back was unable to contain Kostas Karetsas, the teenage wonderkid who was making his first international appearance, down his flank. The Genk midfielder was involved in the build-up to the opener and had time and space to slot in the second himself.
Craig Gordon could not be blamed for any of the goals that Scotland conceded. But the Hearts man is hardly, at the grand old age of 42, one for the future. He is the oldest player to represent his country. He is also, despite being the best option available to Clarke between the sticks, not the player he once was.
At the other end of the park, Che Adams once again, despite no shortage of application or desire, proved unable to impose himself on proceedings in any significant manner. Perhaps that was due to the limited service which the on-form Torino striker received during the 55 minutes he was on the park.
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Would George Hirst, Conway, Kevin Nisbet or James Wilson have done any better? It is doubtful. The substitutes fared little better when they came on. Still, Adams hasn’t scored in a meaningful outing for his adopted homeland in nearly three years now. The 28-year-old was another who looked as if he could have done with being removed from the front line.
But what was Ryan Christie’s excuse for his abject showing? He had sat out the first leg match altogether. He was, though, ineffectual in attack and to partially to blame for the second goal of the night. Perhaps he needs to be deployed in the deep-lying role he now performs for Bournemouth. Or maybe the 30-year-old’s best days in a dark blue jersey are behind him.
Kieran Tierney made a difference when he came on. But how much can the Arsenal defender, who is set to return to Celtic in the summer, be relied upon in the months ahead. Will he be able to represent both his club and country given the injury issues he has had?
Clarke, who made Wilson the youngest player in Scotland history when he threw him along with Conway on for the closing stages, will not, unlike Lance Corporal Jones, press the panic button after one bad game.
But he will need to rely less on the likes of Gordon, Hanley, McGinn, Robertson, McLean, Christie, McGinn and Adams in the meetings with Denmark, Greece, Belarus if a place at Canada, Mexico and the United States next year is to be booked.
Are Max Johnston, Josh Doig, Ross and Robbie McCrorie, Connor Barron, Andy Irving, Lennon Miller, Conway and Wilson good enough? At the moment, it is hard to argue they are. However, they still need to be given game time alongside their older compatriots and allowed to gain invaluable experience. Ben Doak, who is admittedly an exceptional, generational talent, has shown what can be achieved by taking a chance on youth.
So have Greece. The average age of Ivan Jovanovic’s charges was under 23. Karetsas, who looks capable of justifying the considerable hype there has been about his potential, is by far the only outstanding prospect they have at their disposal. Hopes are high they can challenge strongly for World Cup qualification.
The travelling media were all baffled that Miller, the 18-year-old Motherwell midfielder and captain, had not featured in either of the outings at Hampden on Sunday evening. Their puzzlement hinted at a different approach to youth development on the continent.
Scotland looked stale, tired, devoid of ideas, lacking in pace, confidence, creativity and spark against Greece. At times, it was a downright mess. Maybe it was just an off night. But could this be the end of the road for a golden generation, if you can call them that, of players? They are certainly in the final straight. The baton needs to be passed on to a few of those who are coming up behind them.
