I’ve Scot it sorted
Clarke is missing football like everyone else but his glass is half full and he’s confident a refreshed, full-strength Scotland will book place at Euros
Steve Clarke has told the Tartan Army he can still lead Scotland to the Euros.
The national boss might need to wait a full year for our play- off semi- f inal against Israel that was scheduled for March 26.
But Clarke ( below) insists his side will be ready for the challenge to reach next year’s delayed Euro finals when it comes. He said: “I’m confident we can qualify whenever f o o tba l l returns.”
Belgium. I can look back now and enjoy that moment and the recognition I got from the SFWA and PFA Scotland with the awards for our success as a team at Killie.
“I wanted to be back up on stage this year because it would have meant qualification for Euro 2020 but a lot has changed in that 12 months.”
Clarke has deliberately dodged interviews since coronavirus brought football to a standstill.
Not because he’s not as desperate as the rest of us for our game to be up and running again. And not because the Scotland manager isn’t still meticulously planning for the Euro play-off tie with Israel – whenever it eventually gets played.
No, the reason Clarke has taken a back seat is because even talking about football doesn’t sit well with him while a crisis engulfs the country.
While businesses are suffering, workers are being paid off and NHS staff are grafting to keep people alive, he insists sport must be put on the back burner for now. Clarke is a football obsessive. He has previously admitted it has been tough adapting to international management from the club game due to the long periods of inactivity.
So you can only imagine how difficult it has been for the national team boss during lockdown.
At least it has given him the time to paint his fence at home – a job he’d been putting off for too long.
But as much as Clarke remains fully focused on getting Scotland to a major finals – now in 2021 – he can’t bring himself to talk deeply about a return for the game while others are risking their own safety on the frontline to battle the coronavirus outbreak.
Clarke said: “I have purposely avoided interviews throughout this because discussing football, or the self ish impact on us coaches clamouring for the dugout, seems inappropriate. There are far greater priorities in life right now.
“Of course, the period of inactivity has been a challenge for me, I’m not going to l ie. But it pales into insignificance compared to people who have lost their jobs, are on furlough or whose businesses’ future is uncertain.
“It’s trivial compared to those who are working day and night on the NHS frontline to keep people alive.
“So it’s not about me coping, it’s about respecting the fact this pandemic is bigger than all of us.
“I have to do what everyone up and down the country is doing – heeding the advice, protecting my family, staying at home – and finding a newfound enthusiasm for fence painting and other domestic chores that I’d previously found a way of avoiding.
“The most important thing at the moment is to put the situation Scottish football finds itself in into perspective. Covid-19 has changed life for all of us and our immediate thoughts must be with those who haveh lost loved ones or who haveh taken ill.
“We also need to truly appreciatea the efforts of our NHSN in keeping us safe, as wellw as other key workers whow are helping us get throught these dif f icult times.”t
When Scotland do get roundr to facing Israel in that semi-sfinal play-off, Clarke’s squads is l ikely to be in betterb shape.
The likes of John McGinn, ScottS McTominay and KieranK Tierney will have returnedr to full fitness after thet shutdown, while Andy Robertson,R James Forrest and Callum McGregor will have enjoyed a well-earned break.
The national team boss wants the players to concentrate on their family lives right now but is being kept up to date on their progress. He said: “Who knows what lies ahead in terms of how the squad will look for the Israel game?
“But the experiences of the past year will help us and also the events of recent months will give us a new appreciation of the things we took for granted.
“We’re now more used to keeping in touch via Zoom or WhatsApp but that probably works better in a club environment, since domestic footba l l wi l l return before international games.
“Lockdown is a time for people to look af ter their immediate families and to stay healthy.
“I’ve kept in touch with the Scottish FA and I get sent updates on what’s happening. I even took part in their Friday night quiz.
“But it’s important players prepare for returning at the appropriate time with their clubs and I look forward to seeing them all in the flesh when it’s safe to do so again.”
I had no real time to draw breath before I was offered the privileged opportunity to manage my country