NI remind me of Scots three years ago: Clarke
Euros-bound boss impressed by job O’neill has done with youthful side
SCOTLAND manager Steve Clarke has spoken about his respect for opposite number Michael O’neill, admitting that he was a little surprised when he returned to take charge of Northern Ireland.
Clarke and O’neill see each other at a lot of Scottish grounds and enjoy each other’s company but will be looking to come out on top in their personal battle in tonight’s Hampden Park friendly.
O’neill, who inspired his home country to the Euro 2016 Finals, could have become the Scotland boss in 2018 but rejected an offer from the Scottish FA to stay with Northern Ireland, with Alex Mcleish appointed instead.
Next up was Clarke in 2019 and, since then, he has guided the Tartan Army to the Euro 2020 and 2024 Finals.
O’neill left the national team post for Stoke City but returned in December 2022 with the aim to take Northern Ireland to another major tournament.
Asked what he thought of O’neill coming back to the international fold, Clarke said: “Was I surprised? Yeah, maybe a little bit because he’d come out and gone into club football.
“I know the job he took at Stoke was a tough job and I actually think he did a really good job because a lot of people don’t know what was going on behind the scenes and how much he had to trim the budget and move a lot of players out. It was a really tough job for him and I think he did very well.
“Then it’s all about opportunity and he wasn’t working at the time and the Northern Ireland post came up and he was invited to come back.
“He’s obviously looked at it and the group of young players coming through and thought ‘yeah we can do something’ so he’s gone back in. I have a lot of respect for Michael and I bump into him at quite a lot of games and he’s really good company.”
In the days of the old British Championships — of which Northern Ireland remain the title holders after winning the last series in 1984 — games like this could be blood and thunder affairs with tackles flying in and games played at a high intensity.
With modern football now, one wonders will there be that ‘derby edge’ at Hampden tonight. Clarke’s verdict?
“It will be competitive, definitely competitive,” said the former Chelsea star.
“Michael’s team is good. They remind me a little bit of ourselves three years ago when we were trying to develop and build a structure and a style. Michael is very good at talking his team down and saying how young and inexperienced they are.
“I look at the results and I think they don’t get beaten very often by more than one goal, they beat Denmark 2-0 at Windsor Park — we got over excited when we beat Denmark 2-0 at Hampden — they went to Romania and got a 1-1 draw with a young side in a tough place to go so we are expecting a tough game.
“Whether you want to say it will be a British derby or whatever, I think it will be a very competitive game.”
O’neill looks at Scotland and sees a side that his own team could follow in terms of progressing and qualifying for major tournaments.
“They are a team that has had consistent good form for quite a number of years,” said O’neill.
“They are very much the bar I think for us, Scotland, because I saw a lot of these players play through the early phases of their careers.
“It is something I have spoken to our players about.
“I remember seeing (Southampton’s) Stuart Armstrong play for Dundee United and (Aston Villa’s) John Mcginn play for Hibs for example and now they are playing in the Premier League or have been in the Premier League.
“The journey their players are on is hopefully the journey a lot of our players will go on.”
‘Michael is very good at talking his team down’