Clarke’s tricks of the mind have Scots flying

It Is an irrelevance, really, amid an otherwise bloody and barbaric tale, but if russia had not invaded Ukraine, scotland probably would have qualified for the World cup. their absence from Qatar has eroded memory of what went before, when steve clarke’s side won their last six qualifiers to set up a play-off semi-final against Ukraine. that fixture was, understandably, postponed to June last year and scotland — with momentum reversed and key players missing — lost 3-1. so, when scotland beat spain 2-0 on tuesday night — to much fanfare and wider acclaim — it was not nearly so much of a surprise to regular observers. scotland are very good, and will replace england in nations League a in 2024. clarke deserves more credit than he often receives. When he signed a new contract last week to remain in charge until 2026, which includes the World cup, there were some grumblings. his deadpan demeanour does little to quicken the pulse of supporters. But given the consistency of his message and his team’s performance, the palpitations caused by previous scotland squads are now less common. clarke built his reputation as a fine coach. But the evolution of his team in four years as manager has not been accelerated by his work on the training pitch. rather, at 59, he has shown that an old dog can learn new tricks, and it is tricks of the mind which have tartan tails wagging. central to this is the development of clarke’s own emotional intelligence. he spends one-toone time with every player and places as much emphasis on dining-room dynamics as he does dressing room. Fans now feel a connection to the squad and, for the first time in a generation, every home match is a sell-out. scotland under clarke have been gathering pace for some time now. It just needs nights such as tuesday for others to take notice.