I would quit if I didn’t believe I could turn it around
Clarke vows to lift shattered Scots
STEVE CLARKE last night insisted he’d quit as Scotland boss if he didn’t believe he could end our horror slump.
The national gaffer has lost four of his five games in charge after Thursday’s 4-0 rout in Russia.
The latest defeat means the Scots must rely on the play-offs if they’re to reach the Euro 2020 finals.
But defiant Clarke said: “When Scotland came and
head-hunted me I was the best guy for the job according to everybody.
“Now if I’m not the best man for the job then there is something wrong.
“I’m still confident about the job. If I wasn’t confident then I’d find something else to do.”
Clarke and the Scots party flew out of Moscow yesterday to prepare for the visit of Group I whipping boys San Marino to Hampden tomorrow evening.
Scotland edged past Cyprus 2-1 in Clarke’s first game in charge but have since lost home and away to both Belgium and Russia – shipping 13 goals in the process and scoring just once.
But the gaffer bristled at any suggestions he may have bitten off more than he can chew when he took over from Alex McLeish.
Big Eck was sacked after the disastrous 3-0 opening qualifying defeat in Kazakhstan and the narrow 2-0 win in the away clash with San Marino back in March.
Clarke said: “No, no, no. These were all going to be four difficult games.
“The disappointing aspect from the four difficult games is that we’ve lost three of them by a margin that’s too high at this level.
“Even if you’re going to lose they should be close games.
“I thought against Russia for 60 minutes it was a close match – and you can’t allow a game to run away from you like we did. That’s not possible.” The Moscow mauling leaves Scotland struggling in fifth spot in their group, behind Kazakhstan and Cyprus.
But even though Clarke remains confident in his own ability he admits the Tartan Army have already lost all
faith and expects them to abandon the team at a ghostly Hampden when San Marino visit.
He said: “Listen, the supporters who went to Moscow were great. I bumped into one or two of them when we went to Red Square on the afternoon of the game.
“They spend a lot of money following the team and I’d love to have given them something to smile about.
“But at this moment in time we have to be honest and say we’re struggling.
“We are low in confidence but the only way to change that is to work hard.
“We are now at home to San Marino on Sunday. I’m not sure there will be a big crowd there – but whatever crowd we get we need to go out and do our very best to make sure we turn the corner.”
Clarke will be without striker Oli Burke, who was taken off at halftime due to injury on Thursday night and has already been ruled out of tomorrow’s game.
But the gaffer admits those who are left behind now face a massive test of temperament.
He said: “It’s now a test of temperament for everybody, even the ones with 20 or 30 caps.
“It’s a test for everybody, it’s a test for me after a short space of time.
“I have realised the size of the task. But I’m not going to run away from it. I’m going to stand and fight it.
“It’s up to us as a team to make sure that in the next three matches we go into the March (play-off ) games in a better place.”