CLARKE: WE NEED TO GO AND SEIZE THE MOMENT

Clarke urges his players to ride the wave of emotion but cautions against letting the game pass them by

AT 2pm on Friday, Steve Clarke pulled up a chair on the outdoor terrace at the Rockliffe Hall clubhouse and proceeded to hold court. Precisely 72 hours out from the biggest football match of his life, he looked like a man in his element.

After a procession of strained video conferences and Zoom interviews, it was refreshing to encounter Clarke in person for the first time in 2021. He’s never seemed more at ease.

For the past couple of weeks, he’s been immersed in his favourite professional pursuit. Some quality coaching time with these Scotland players has only served to encourage him ahead of tomorrow’s Euro 2020 opener against the Czech Republic.

There will inevitably be nerves ahead of the big kick-off at Hampden but if he’s feeling the strain, it doesn’t show.

Indeed, he insists the more time he spends with this young and improving squad, the more he is excited at the potential of what they might achieve.

It’s been 23 years since Craig Brown took his squad to France ’98 and the significance of his own status is not lost on Clarke. And while he will implore the players to embrace the magnitude of tomorrow’s occasion, he also wants them to enjoy it.

‘I’ll feel proud walking out,’ he begins. ‘I’ll be emotional — I hope you don’t see that side of it! — but no, I’ll be very proud. Of course there will be emotion. It’s a big occasion after 23 years. We’ve waited so long. To be the head coach that leads the team out is an honour.

‘I can sense an excitement and an anticipation among the players. It’s my job to ensure that it isn’t knocked out of them. Because I want them to go into the game with that emotion.

‘But they also realise that they have to control it during the match. They have to play the game properly and do well.’

The goal is to break new ground and achieve something new. A win over the Czechs would turn the objective of qualifying for the knockout stage into a distinct probability.

After a productive camp in Spain, Clarke’s squad is now settled at its tournament base at a sprawling North Yorkshire estate that houses Middlesbrough’s training ground, a luxury hotel alongside a stunning golf course.

It’s a world away from the hype and hoopla surrounding the Euros, but Clarke will bring his players to Glasgow this evening to start plugging in to the tournament vibe.

In particular, he’s looking forward to playing in front of a live — if severely reduced — audience at the national stadium: ‘I cannot wait to hear noise inside Hampden again because it’s been a long time.

‘We played Holland last week in an empty stadium in the Algarve and even having just 1,000 in for our next match against Luxembourg made such a big difference.

‘There will be 12,500 on Monday and the Tartan Army boys who are in will make themselves heard, I’m sure.’

With not only the top two teams in each group qualifying for the last 16 but also the four best third-placed sides from the six sections, the chances of progression look high.

With England and 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia to come, tomorrow’s game looks the most winnable of the three for Scotland — not least because Clarke’s men have prevailed in two recent meetings with the Czechs.

‘We have to get the result we require, the one that helps us get out of the group,’ he continues. ‘Whether that’s one point or three, we don’t know because we have two more games after that.

‘But we must make sure we play to our full potential and don’t allow the occasion to detract from our performance.

‘When people look at the group they talk about the Czech Republic as the weakest link but that tells me it’s a helluva strong group because England and Croatia are good teams too.

‘It’s a tough group. I know people say we have a good chance to come out of the group but we will need to be good. When only the top two got out of the group, the first game was always quite tight. You got a lot of cagey games because teams would play for the draw.

‘It is not quite like that now because you might get out as one of the best third-placed teams and that takes a little bit of that pressure off.’

If Scotland are eyeing tomorrow’s match as an opportunity, Clarke knows the Czechs will feel exactly the same.

‘They are big, strong and athletic,’ he says. ‘They’re good going forward, they take a lot of risks and put a lot of bodies up the pitch.

‘Listen, they are a good team. I actually look at them as being quite similar to ourselves.

‘They are maybe ranked a little bit higher than their performances but they are a team that is improving together. Our team will be different from the last time we played and the Czechs will have some changes too.

‘We try to play with freedom anyway. I don’t want to go into the tournament and think we have to sit in and defend and be nervous.

‘We have spoken about it. We want the players to go in and attack the tournament if you like and have a right go. Let’s see where it takes us.’

Clarke knows he and his players have a chance to do something very special for the country over the coming days.

The simple act of qualification in Belgrade provided joy and optimism at a troubled time and a tournament run would send spirits soaring.

‘I think we are well aware of the power of football in this country,’ he adds. ‘Last November proved that, right in the middle of probably the worst part of the lockdown when we could not really see any light at the end of the tunnel.

‘So we are aware of what football can do and we want to do our bit if we can. But it is football and you never know what can happen. If you get a bad refereeing decision or a bad break of the ball then things can change. ‘Let’s be excited about it but let’s try and keep a little bit of pressure off the lads and let them go and enjoy themselves and see where we end up. ‘I think we can feed off the optimism. And it is also a compliment to me, my staff and my players that we have a confidence and belief around the national team again.’

The squad also looks demonstrably stronger now. Having solved the conundrum of how to fit in elite level left-backs Andy Robertson and Kieran Tierney, Clarke has options throughout the midfield and forward areas.

The inclusion of youngsters David Turnbull, Billy Gilmour and Nathan Patterson in an expanded squad of 26 has further deepened the well of possibilities.

‘I remember not too long ago there were some dark days and I was saying: “Come on boys, be positive”,’ recalls Clarke of his early days in the job.

‘And I think I noticed the turn maybe before others because I am working in the camp and I could feel it. I knew something was improving and it has improved in leaps and bounds.

‘We managed to persuade Lyndon Dykes and Che Adams to join us

and suddenly the squad has grown and got stronger with the added bit of sugar when we had the chance to put the three young ones in.’

Not one of those three rookies was born the last time Scotland competed at a major finals. Their lack of a reference point might be a blessing, but Clarke is not sure.

‘I want them to realise how big this is,’ he states. ‘I want them to be hungry to be at the next one and the one after that.

‘We had a good run qualifying for successive tournaments in the ’90s and that’s what we want the younger core to think — this is half-decent so let’s do it again.

‘It’s a group of players that I get quite excited about. I think it’s a group that can take us to a few tournaments in the future.’