The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Ten is the magic number as boss eyes familiarity
Scotland manager Steve Clarke reckons it could take as many as 10 international camps before he achieves true familiarity with his side.
Clarke took over from Alex McLeish in the summer, with tonight’s European Championship qualifying match away to Russia kicking off his third double header in charge, which concludes with Sunday’s home match against San Marino.
Having achieved huge success in his last club job with Kilmarnock, Clarke admits he is still getting to grips with the reduced contact with his players at international level, revealing he had less than an hour’s coaching time over two days prior to flying to Moscow.
Clarke insists it will take time for him to develop a solid understanding with his players. “This particular week has been an eye opener and I’ve had to rely on the work I’ve done in previous camps.
“When you take over a club side you have six or maybe eight weeks to get them ready. That’s quite a lot of coaching hours you don’t get here. I’m not pleading for time in terms of my job. But it might need 10 training camps – I don’t know how many before the players can start to turn up and say: ‘We play a certain way for our club, but with Scotland this is how we do it.’ This is only my third camp with the players.
“There has to be a sense of realism. If everybody is looking at me and saying I did a great job at Kilmarnock getting them coached and drilled then I’d say to them it didn’t happen just like that.
“It was over a period of time that the team at Kilmarnock forged its own identity.”
Scotland were defeated 2-1 by Russia, who are ranked 10 places above them at 42nd in the world, despite Clarke’s men taking the lead when the two sides met at Hampden last month.
Although Scotland are out of contention to qualify automatically for next summer’s finals, Clarke feels tonight’s encounter gives his side the opportunity to make a statement of intent ahead of March’s play-offs.
He said: “It’s going to be tough but I saw enough in the first game at Hampden to let me know that we have a chance to win the game.”
The current Scotland squad gives goalkeeper David Marshall more cause for optimism than ever before in his international career – even if Steve Clarke’s men miss out on a place at Euro 2020 next summer.
Marshall’s Scotland career has coincided with the nation’s 21-year absence from a major finals.
The Wigan Athletic player won the first of his 31 caps so far in a 3-0 friendly defeat by Hungary at Hampden in 2004.
Scotland’s hopes of qualifying for next summer’s European Championships realistically rest on the play-offs in March following a disappointing qualifying campaign, which sees them sit fifth in Group I ahead of their seventh fixture – away to Russia tonight.
Despite criticism of some of the Scots’ recent performances, the pool of talent available to Clarke gives Marshall hope that better times are not far away.
Marshall said: “Over the course of time a lot of players come through.
“I have been there a long time. There are times when you think maybe the squad isn’t as strong as it was three or four years ago.
“In terms of the age of this squad and the level the lads are playing I don’t see there being a decline.
“Obviously, making that comment when we are getting beat I leave myself open to criticism, which is fine.
“I can only say what I honestly feel – and the lads are at a great age.
“I can’t remember too many starting sides when the majority of them are playing at the level that these boys, the Premier League boys, are playing at.
“It might not be this month or next month, but I genuinely do feel there are reasons to be optimistic.
“I can’t remember too many times when there have been proper Premier League players who are really important to their team.
“We have had some in the past. But I really feel in the next few years we can really benefit from that.”
Although there is precious little at stake in Scotland’s four remaining group fixtures, Clarke’s side will need to win just two play-off games – against opponents yet to be determined – in order to qualify for the competition finals.
Marshall knows the scale of the opportunity, with the 35-year-old adding: “I wouldn’t say the lads are affected by the pressure.
“We have not qualified for over 20 years so I don’t think we should be feeling that pressure. We should be desperate to push on and be that squad that gets there.
“Regardless of what happens in the next four games, we’re going to get to March, step out on to that pitch and the whole stadium is going to be jumping.
“The country is going to be behind us and everybody is going to be desperate to win that game to give us another chance to get there.”
Marshall has enjoyed a national team renaissance under Clarke, with the former Celtic and Norwich City goalkeeper insisting international football has become more difficult during his 15-year period of involvement.
He added: “I have had a bit of a bitty international career.
“When I first got in I wasn’t asked to play because big Craig (Gordon) was playing all the time. I had time to settle. It is different. There tends to be a lot tighter games.
“I think the standard of international football is a lot better as well. Years ago you turned the smaller teams over a bit easier. Now, everybody is a lot more organised and fitter. It has got a lot harder.”