Deep down there’s a part of Steve Clarke that revels in his reputation as Scotland’s grumpy gaffer. But heaven knows there’s plenty of reasons to be miserable now as his plans for a 40th bash in Poland have gone to pot.
Nations League Group A is in the nation’s sights – yet Clarke is going to have to do it with the B Team. It won’t be a problem for the manager though if the B stands for Belgrade. Clarke is right up against it in Krakow ahead of the clash with Ukraine, with half a squad either crocked, banned or laid low with a bug. He counted 16 players from his extended list who won’t be available to help him clock up his 40th match in charge of the country.
Premier League stars such as Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney, Scott McTominay, Nathan Patterson and Scott McKenna are all among those who will be watching from the sidelines while the likes of Ryan Fraser, Greg Taylor, Lyndon Dykes and Che Adams have been hit by the virus that’s swept through the camp. Talk about bad timing.
But for all Clarke sometimes comes across as downbeat by default, he’s got confidence the Plan B seen in Belgrade when the Scots famously saw off Serbia to reach the Euros can do the business in Poland.
The likes of Declan Gallagher and Ryan Jack were heroes that night and they could be called on this evening as the national side seek the point that will elevate the county into the A-league, bag a play-off insurance policy and land us in pot two for the seeding for the qualification groups.
It’s time for another Belgrade bash as Clarke said: “That’s what we have to aim for. We have to aim to replicate that performance and that result and if we can do that then everybody will be happy.”
Clarke knows happy is not usually how most folk would describe him. But don’t be fooled. He’ll match Gordon Strachan’s milestone of matches on Tuesday and only Craig Brown, Andy Roxburgh and Jock Stein will have led out the nation more times. This is not the stage to be looking back though.
He said: “I was very surprised it was 40. It doesn’t feel like 40, I’ve got to be honest. That must mean that somewhere in there, although you don’t see it very often, I’m actually quite enjoying the job.
“I didn’t notice that statistic but I always say the same thing to people about achievements and categorising things. I will only do that when I am finished and sitting lying on a beach somewhere counting back.
“Only then will I try to categorise how I felt about that job and this job and what my best moment was or my win ratio. All that is for later. For now? I’ll just carry on being miserable and get on with my job.”
Scotland, however, are anything but miserable under Clarke. Quite the opposite. This self-confessed dour Ayrshireman has the country playing their most adventurous football in a generation. A point might be needed but Clarke sends out this side to win – which he has in 50 per cent of his games.
That’s a serious stat that puts him above most previous gaffers and he admitted he’s relishing the contradiction between his off-field persona and his on-field thrill-seekers.
Clarke admits he’s watched the new breed of high-pressing, high-intensity attacking gaffers, guys like Jurgen Klopp, Ange Postecogou, Graham Potter and so on, and he’s employed his own version with Scotland.
Perhaps soon we’ll be talking about Clarkeball. He said: “It’s always nice to buck the trend and go against how you’re perceived. My perceived image is as a very pragmatic and defensive coach. It’s nice to be able to show that I’ve got another side as well.
“You have to be open-minded and realise the game’s changed a lot from when I first started back in 1983. The game evolves and you tend to find that the people with longevity in the game are the ones that evolve with it. The ones that can adapt and change to the trends if you like. If that’s what it needs then I am happy to do that.”
Clarke isn’t pausing for thought. He’s fuelled by a burning desire to maintain the progress, not just accepting the prospect of A groups and pot twos. He wants Scotland to be regulars on the big stage rather than occasional tourists.
His side can take a huge step this evening but he said: “The rewards are always to be good and improve. I’ve been very consistent in my message that we want to keep improving.
“I was very honest over the summer when I said I thought we’d stalled. Up to the point of being overcritical of everyone. It was nice to get into this camp. I reset the staff at the start of the week, along with the players, and we’ve had a good response.
“We want to finish the week on a high by getting the right result. I want to keep moving forward. Even if it goes well and we get to pot two, I don’t want to stop there. That can’t be the limit of our aspirations. We have to strive to be better all the time.”
It will be tricky with his squad in tatters and Ukraine hungry to prove last week’s chasing at Hampden was just a terrible misunderstanding.
Clarke said: “The most important thing for me is we back up the previous two performances. We go away from home against a good team.
“Ukraine will be disappointed with the way they played at Hampden and will want to be better. We need to make sure we get to the same levels as we did at Hampden. If we do that hopefully we can get the result we want.”
READ NEXT
