Clarke knows there’s little margin for error in today’s cut-throat football world

KEITH JACKSON

k.jackson@dailyrecord.co.uk sleep we will be ready to go.” Scotland had better be. You don’t want to be caught snoozing when Roberto Martinez and his men come to town and especially on the back of the 3-0 skelping they dished out to Clarke and his players back in June.

There is a very real danger here that things could get very messy indeed.

Clarke knows he cannot afford to contemplate such a worst-case scenario.

He said: “No, I can’t afford to think like that because I’m the manager. I have to believe in my players and in my team.

“It’s a good challenge so let’s relish it and not worry about getting a hiding.” The last couple of days will have involved Clarke attempting to nurse a few wounded egos within his squad and also trying to convince them that they are a great deal better than they looked against the Russians.

You get the feeling he’s had to bite his tongue.

Clarke added: “The job is every bit as big as I thought before I started.

“It’s a big challenge for us because we haven’t qualified for a long, long time so there’s a lot of pressure on us to do it this time.

“The reality of modern-day life in football is that everyone wants a quick fix. If you win three games you’re a genius and if you lose three games you’re an idiot. That’s basically where we are at just now.

“I just need to stay calm, look at the situation, try to prepare the team properly and work with players to build a rapport and a relationship with them and keep working towards the end goal for us which is qualification.

“Come April next year, that’s the time when you’ll see whether we’ve done good work or bad work.”

What Clarke needs tonight is a clear sign his players are mentally robust enough and able to respond.

They are about to undergo a test of character like few others in football.

Clarke said: “Modern players have changed. They are different from the players of 20 to 30 years ago all over the country.

“When you speak to managers and ask them about leaders they say, ‘Ooft! You don’t get many leaders nowadays!’.

“But this group is good. We have good players playing at a good level.

“Are they different from my generation? Yes, definitely. Are they different from the generation of 10 to 15 years ago? Yes,

STEVE CLARKE ON THE PRESSURE HE FACES