BUILD IT & THEY WILL COME
Clarke has set the foundations since Cyprus last pitched up at Hampden and got fans back in droves with restoration work... now comes the upkeep as clubs throw a few DIY jobs his way
STEVE CLARKE faced a major rebuilding job when he first took charge of Scotland.
Last year, there was a bit of autumnal restoration work that needed done to fix one or two issues which had threatened to destabilise an impressive original construction.
Now the project manager may well be looking at a period of upkeep and maintenance if we are to be drawing up travel plans for next summer’s Euros in Germany.
Since a first game – ironically against Saturday’s opponents Cyprus – in June 2019, Clarke has made continuous progress on the side.
There’s no need to go through each stage of the development, it’s well known.
Taking on a shell of a unit and doing it up well enough to reach the last Euros and end a 23-year absence from major tournament football was quite the foundation to lay.
Production was put on hold during last summer by the brutal World Cup play-off loss to Ukraine and a subsequent demolition in Dublin.
But Clarke and the boys were quickly back on the tools to get things moving in the right direction again.
By the time that stage of work was done, Scotland had a place in the play-offs already secured along with a spot in the top floor of the next Nations League. The
Turkey friendly after three outstanding displays of differing natures against the Ukrainians and the Irish was a meaningless write-off and the nation is with the team as they get set for matches against the Cypriots and Spain over the next eight days.
Put it this way, there were almost 20,000 empty seats at Hampden when Clarke oversaw that first game.
Now, almost four years on, the old place is sold out twice for the next 180 minutes.
The blocks are in place, the fans like what they are seeing and, player for player, the boss has a strong base to work from.
It’s just about keeping it moving forward and there are going to be challenges, especially going through certain individual cases because club situations can change.
Perhaps the best example of that is Ryan Fraser. In that trio of superb performances last September against Ukraine and Ireland, which got Scotland to the summit of their Nations League section, the Newcastle winger was vibrant.
Back in the fold, he made goals, he was a big performer and impressive. Fast forward six months and he’s completely out of the picture at St James’s Park and, subsequently, nowhere near Clarke’s squad. Workies come and go, but the build must continue.
After one goal in his previous 15 games at struggling Southampton, it was a boost to have Che Adams back on the scoresheet against Spurs on Saturday and also encouraging to have Stuart Armstrong in the thick of that 3-3 thriller.
John McGinn was also playing an outstanding role for Aston Villa in their win over Bournemouth but Ryan Christie didn’t get off the Cherries’ bench.
The matchwinner with a winning goal and assist for Jack Hendry against the Irish at Hampden, the gifted playmaker hasn’t had a club start in almost two months.
It’s great to see Lyndon Dykes back after his spell out through ill health but, understandably,
Nearly four years on the old place is sold out twice for the next 180 minutes with the blocks firmly in place
he can’t yet be at full pelt despite a full 90 minutes for QPR.
Stalwarts such Kieran Tierney and Scott McTominay have not played as many minutes as they would have wanted at Arsenal and Manchester United respectively. Although both were involved in crucial club league and FA Cup wins yesterday.
Mind you, the numbers on their timesheets still dwarf Billy Gilmour’s at Brighton while Nathan Patterson is working his way back from an injury at Everton.
On the flip side, others are performing. Callum McGregor is flying at Celtic. Ryan Porteous has settled well at Watford. Aaron Hickey is shining at Brentford. Lewis Ferguson, who scored again for Bologna at the weekend, and Hendry are developing well on the continent. Naturally, the goalkeeping position is one that will need close assessment.
At some point, Clarke was going to have to find a worthy successor to Craig Gordon. The serious injury sustained by his triedand-tested No.1 has just speeded up the process.
Liam Kelly, Zander Clark and new recruit Angus Gunn don’t have a cap between them and one will be making a debut against Cyprus.
The manager says they will get these next five days to push their claims but the weekend may have offered a pointer. While Kelly and Clark were shipping seven goals between them, Gunn was producing heroics after rapidly knocking up a brick wall. The on-loan Norwich ace produced half-adozen smart saves to get a clean sheet and man-of-the-match award against Stoke. So, in short, the boss will have the job of putting a whole host of factors into his cement mixer to produce the right materials to stick to his desired schedule.