BOSS: I’LL DO THIS MY WAY
social media after the Tartan Army booed his team off the pitch. The 3-0 defeat in Dublin could have been heavier as his back three went into malfunction mode again.
But as Clarke attempts to reclaim some Nations League ground in Armenia tonight, he has told his detractors that he will continue to have courage in his convictions, regardless of outside opinion.
Anything less than a win at the Republican Stadium will see the volume increased on calls for the former Kilmarnock boss to be sacked but he bristled at a suggestion that he should fear for his job if this evening doesn’t go to plan.
He said: “Ifs and buts. Other people can speak about what they want to speak about, I have to stay true to myself and stay true to what these players believe in as well.
“People can write and say what they want. There is nothing I can do to control that, the most important thing is what we do next.”
Clarke prefers to put the blinkers on when he’s the topic of debate or subject to critical media comments.
He said: “I don’t know what goes on in that world. I have to skim over the media to make sure I know that’s going on but I don’t read any articles.
“You will go away and write something about this interview… I won’t read it.
“It’s how I’ve always dealt with things. It’s just the way I am. It’s how I deal with the whole situation, good or bad.”
A host of changes are set to be made for the test against Joaquin Caparros’ Armenia side.
Clarke revealed there are “significant” injury concerns within his squad but opted to keep the names of his stricken stars to himself. He said: “There will be some rotation. We have some significant doubts.
“We will assess before we travel but we have significant injuries to deal with. No names.
“There will be some changes. I’ve one or two significant injury doubts that will play a part. I’m not going to say any more than that.
“I’m also conscious I’ve got to freshen the team a little bit for the fourth game at the end of a long campaign for a lot of the players.
“I’m not going to get into who might and who might not play because I don’t want to give Armenia information about tactics. I always try to keep those things close to my chest.”
Clarke is on record as stating tonight is a must-win affair and he’s adamant Scotland can still head into summer with a positive feeling.
However, he conceded failure to claim three points would make topping their Nations League group a huge ask.
He said: “It would be very difficult then. If we didn’t win it would be much more difficult. But I expect to win.
“After Saturday I get the feeling a lot of the players want to finish the season on a good note.
“The most important thing for me is that we want to win this game because we want to go into the September camp with a realistic chance of topping this group. That has to be our aim.”