THAT LOVE-IN FEELING
Gaffer Clarke is already head over heels for this group of players and he reckons fans falling for them too can help us set up hot date in Qatar
THE love bombing continues. When Steve Clarke told the world how he felt about his players after watching them win in Austria earlier this month, he meant every word.
This declaration of his affections was not merely an emotional knee-jerk response to what they achieved in Vienna where that against-the-odds 1-0 victory catapulted Scotland back into the race for a place at the next World Cup.
On the contrary, Clarke makes a point of being too tightly strung to get caught up in the romance of the moment.
No, this one has been a slow burner. It has been earned the hard way over these last two-and-a-half years of relationship building. And it may just be about to blossom at the best possible time.
Yesterday, the manager named a 24-man squad for the up and coming double-header against Israel and the Faroes, two more crucial group Group F encounters which could just about seal the deal of a place in the play-offs for Qatar 2022.
And Clarke appears to sense a special moment on the Hampden horizon. He said: “I said after the Austria game that I love my players and I do love my players.
“I love the fact they give everything for their country. And they want to be successful.
“They want to qualify for another tournament and I think the supporters are buying into that, I really do. I think the fan base is buying into that and thinking, ‘This is a group of players we can identify with’ so hopefully they support us and cheer us onto another tournament.
“But as things stand they see that hunger and desire in the players to do well for the country. That’s how they approach every game and I see them flat out. I work with them closely so I know I get that.
“But the fans see it now. They see the team tries to play on the front foot and we try to be positive and play when we can play. If we have to fight we can go and fight as well. The Scottish psyche buys into that.”
When he puts it like that, it’s hard not to feel the juices starting to flow.
Especially now that another campaign is reaching the familiar climax of a date with the Israelis.
But while Clarke’s immediate focus is fixed on that critical Saturday night rendezvous, he is also making moves to ensure his boys are left in the best possible hands when, inevitably, there is a parting of the ways.
Steven Naismith has been kept on as part of the manager’s backroom team after an emergency call-up to the coaching staff at the start of this month. Austin MacPhee will now join the party for the first time after being left self isolating last time out.
And Clarke is casting an eye over a list of former Scotland stalwarts such as James McFadden, Gary Caldwell, James Morrison and Kenny Miller, each of whom may be fast-tracked into the group as a potential long-term manager in waiting.
Clarke explained: “Steven is great.
He didn’t suddenly become the players’ mate again. He has a recognised position within the group. He helped John Carver a lot on the training pitch, doing little bits to help share workload.
“Myself and John appreciated Steven’s help so it’s nice to keep him on board for this one.
“But it’s not only Steven. I am sort of toying with ideas and bouncing a few ideas off people and trying to see if we can put together a coherent plan to move forward, utilising some of the ex-internationals who are maybe a little bit closer to the dressing room.
“It might be worthwhile getting some of them involved at the younger age groups. They can go in and the younger
players can look at them and say ‘Ooft’. They will remember them playing for Scotland and see how well they have done. And obviously to try to help the lads stay on the coaching path and try to give them a little help going forward.
“It’s not really for me to name names. You could probably rhyme a few off the top of your head if you think about it. It is something we can definitely improve on if there is a vehicle to use them. You have got to imagine these young, potential stars at 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.
“They are going to be star struck when you get somebody who has played 30, 40, 50 games for their country. Suddenly you put them in there and they can be part of the coaching environment. It can only be good for the young players to see that and it can only be good for the coaches as well because they might be out of the game just now and looking for a foothold to get back in.
“We definitely need to look to the future. I will only be here relatively short-term because that is just the nature of the game. We are looking at 10, 12 years down the line. Where are we going to be as a country? Are we going to be a pot four team or are we going to be a pot two team?
“Decisions you make now can influence that. Listen, my job is to get results for the A team. But you still have to lay the groundwork for future generations. You might suddenly find a coach and you think: ‘Wow! Let’s keep him on board.’ Maybe they can work through the system and ultimately sit in this hotseat. You never know.
“It’s not even so much about a successor, it’s just about a good head coach for the country moving forward. Whether it is me or somebody else doesn’t really matter, as long as we are successful. I’ll not be here forever. Definitely not in this job.”