Scraping by is not enough for these guys and that proves how much we’ve progressed
This Scotland group is driven and demands the highest of standards
ANDY ROBERTSON laid it all out perfectly. Used straight facts.
Scotland are setting standards with Steve Clarke and this current group of players.
And, seeing the squad troop out of the Torsvollur on Tuesday night having achieved the desired result after Sydney Divine came up with another priceless goal, it brought it home just where their bar is set.
Record Sport was amongst others fortunate enough to be deep beneath the stands afterwards as Clarke’s boys made their way out towards the team bus in Torshavn.
It was obvious that Scotland did not play well against the Faroe Islands.
But let’s also be clear about another fact.
Results are all that matter in qualification campaigns as the country knows better than anyone having suffered enough disappointing ones in the past two decades.
The win in the North Atlantic was absolutely crucial in the chase to make the World Cup play-offs and, by hook or by crook, Scotland got it.
Given it was a fourth straight qualification victory for the first time in 14 years, no-one could have criticised the squad for merely sweeping the display under the carpet and basking in the overall moment of that feat.
But you sense there is something very driven about this squad. Something that demands the highest standards.
Robertson stood afterwards and said it was a “massive win” and a “huge three points.” Fact. Tellingly, the skipper then also said: “Probably the less said about the performance, the better” and “We’ll need to be a lot better than that going forward.” That was also a fact. You might think what else could Robertson say, but how often have you heard players and managers talk after a game and wonder if you’d seen the same one?
More importantly, if words are one thing, actions and emotions tell you far more. And that’s where the differences are starting to shine through with the current crop.
Of course there was satisfaction at completing the mission.
At taking another big step towards Qatar when at one late stage it was slipping back on to a knife-edge.
There was happiness at giving supporters at home and those who travelled up to the Faroe Islands a craved success.
But there was no bouncing around down the stairs.
No lads jumping on each other’s backs piggybacking out of the door.
No carrying on or any high-fiving.
One by one, they made their way slowly and quietly out of the place.
Maybe it was just relief, but it felt more like an annoyance inside that they hadn’t reached their levels.
It was as if simply winning the game wasn’t enough for them.
Now, of course, no-one would have expected to see the squad doing the conga around the team bus like they did around a table in Serbia singing
Davie Marshall songs having just managed to narrowly edge a team ranked 114th in the world.
But, at the same time, their demeanour told you that they knew the standards they have set for themselves were not matched and, win or not, that didn’t seem to please them one bit.
It was, in its own strange way, something to give everyone greater heart and hope for more good times ahead.
Clarke says the strides his team have taken over the past two years are about belief and he’s absolutely right.
However, it’s also about demands. Not just his, you sense. But the demands these boys seem to be putting upon themselves.
People in all walks of life can say what they like. It’s how a person acts that defines them.
Scotland’s players want to be elite. They want to be a top team. And, if their standards drop, it seems to deeply irritate them.
Just scraping by won’t do for these lads. That, in itself, should be a cause of huge optimism among fans.
It was as if simply winning the game wasn’t enough for them