Yes, there are issues, for Steve Clarke and the SFA, but there’s no need to panic. And things could be worse… just look at Italy!
Deep in the bowels of the Hill Dickinson Stadium, shortly after Steve Clarke had finished his post-match media duties, news of Italy’s demise flashed across the TV screens.
The four-time world champions had been knocked out in the play-offs after losing in a penalty shootout to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Their exile from the World Cup now extends to a third tournament in a row. Mamma Mia! Splashed across some of the Italian newspapers yesterday were the words ‘apocalypse’, ‘scandal’ and ‘disaster’.
In the bars and cafes of Rome, Milan, Turin and beyond, you wondered what the reaction might look like. And sound like.
Boos and jeers that would drown out anything mustered by a small, disgruntled section of the Tartan Army over these past few days.
A football giant is once again in a state of national mourning. Italy’s latest failure certainly put Scotland’s current problems into some kind of context.
Italy failed to make the World Cup for the third time in a row after losing in the play-off
Steve Clarke has issues to be resolved but the SFA could help by making a clear statement on his future
Suddenly, a couple of 1-0 friendly defeats to Japan and the Ivory Coast didn’t feel all that bad in the grand scheme of things.
Ultimately, Scotland still have a World Cup to look forward to. They have earned that. There’s a lot of other teams out there who have it a lot worse than Scotland right now.
Bigger and more prestigious nations, too, who will be sat at home twiddling their thumbs this summer after failing to qualify.
Italy, for one, would give their right arm to be involved in the tournament. Watching those pictures of their players slumped on the pitch, some of them in tears, offered a decent sense of perspective.
Scotland were booed off the pitch on Tuesday night after losing by a solitary goal against the Ivory Coast, as was the case when they also lost 1-0 to Japan at Hampden last weekend.
It is easy for this kind of stuff to be blown out of proportion. We live in an age of instant snap judgments, a world where the court of social media is viewed as judge, jury and executioner.
But nobody should be naïve enough to believe that whether or not a team are booed off the pitch is a fair barometer of their performance level. It’s not as simple as that.
Yeah, last weekend against Japan, it was probably fair enough. Scotland were poor and offered very little. Against the Ivory Coast on Tuesday night, the booing was ridiculous. The performance wasn’t that bad.
Yet, beyond the reaction from a small section of supporters, it was Clarke’s contract situation which became the main talking point.
Clarke was asked whether he expects his future to be decided, one way or another, by the time Scotland play their next match, a World Cup send-off at Hampden against Curacao on May 30.
He shot it all down fairly quickly and bluntly, insisting that he doesn’t want it to cast a cloud over the World Cup campaign. ‘It’s finished,’ he said. ‘I don’t want to talk about my contract any more.’
But, of course, it’s not finished. If no decision has been made and there has been no movement by the time that Curacao game comes around, you can bet your bottom dollar Clarke will be asked about it again.
That’s just how it works. He can start getting snappy about it and start falling out with people if he wants, but the question is still there to be asked.
Or, alternatively, the SFA can be proactive and get ahead of it. Over these past few weeks, Clarke has spoken on multiple occasions about his future. So, too, have several of the players.
There hasn’t been much chat from the SFA. The whole topic of Clarke’s future exists in this sort of vacuum at the moment. It’s being allowed to drift, and it’s not overly helpful.
He is highly regarded by chief executive Ian Maxwell and the rest of the SFA hierarchy. It would be no great shock if they did offer him a contract extension.
If that was to happen, at least there would be clarity. The SFA could also state their intention to see how things pan out in the World Cup and then make a judgment based on how Scotland perform.
That would be a smart course of action. Clarke would effectively be asked to go and earn a new contract by leading Scotland into the knockout stages of the World Cup.
Again, with that, there’s clarity. The questions would stop. Everyone would know how things stand. He wouldn’t be asked about it in every press conference.
But, by sitting back and doing nothing, the SFA are running the risk of this becoming an unnecessary distraction.
Back to matters on the pitch and some of the reaction to these two matches over recent days has been over the top and excessive. For a start, Scotland were playing against two very capably teams in Japan and the Ivory Coast.
The both sit above Scotland in the world rankings and both showed a level of technical and physical prowess that caused Clarke’s side problems.
Further notice of Japan’s ability was served on Tuesday night when they beat England 1-0 at Wembley. Ultimately, they are a very good side.
Scotland didn’t show enough attacking ambition in their match against the Japanese and that is something Clarke certainly needs to rectify.
The performance against Ivory Coast was better. Was it brilliant? No, but it was certainly an improvement. Especially given that Clarke made nine changes to his team and changed the system, they competed well.
Where they ultimately fell short was in the final third. The lack of creativity and the lack of a goal threat is probably the most concerning aspect to come out of these two games.
Scotland’s two successive friendly defeats shouldn’t mean panic stations for Clarke
But that’s not a new phenomenon for Scotland. Throughout Clarke’s tenure, they have never had a consistent goal threat up front, relying instead on the likes of John McGinn and Scott McTominay in midfield.
George Hirst gave a decent enough account of himself on Tuesday night and probably offered more than Che Adams. But will Hirst start against Haiti in the opening game in June? Probably not.
The No 9 jersey is still very much up for grabs. Lawrence Shankland’s credentials have been enhanced over these two games and he didn’t even play.
He remains Scotland’s most natural finisher and their best bet for a goal up front. If he can stay fit, and potentially win a league title with Hearts, he’s in pole position for the World Cup.
There’s also the likes of Ben Gannon-Doak and Aaron Hickey to come back into the mix, two players who will be guaranteed starters for Scotland in the World Cup again if they are fit.
They offer a huge threat from out wide, especially Gannon-Doak. He is Scotland’s x-factor, the one player we have who can make a difference at the top end of the pitch.
So, while these two friendly defeats didn’t exactly stir the soul, they were no cause for panic stations either. A sense of perspective is needed.
Scotland still have a huge amount to look forward to. They have good players to come back into the mix, players who will make a genuine difference.
By the time the World Cup comes around, these friendlies will be a distant memory. It is a tournament we should embrace and look forward to. Not everyone has that luxury. Just ask Italy.
