Clarke wants to be far from the madding crowd for the Euros
Scotland are planning a surprise flit to England next summer.
With Hampden matches in the Euros against the Czech Republic and Croatia on June 14 and 22 sandwiching a wembley date with the Auld Enemy on June 18, it had been expected that Steve Clarke’s squad would stay north of Hadrian’s Wall.
However, the Dark Blues manager has decided getting away from it all will give his players the peace and quiet they need to prepare for what will be the country’s first appearance in a major Finals in 23 years.
“We are a long way down the road to getting a training base, and it’s pretty much certain that we will be based in the north of England,” he said.
“So we are leaving Scotland to prepare. “We haven’t got access to Oriam, which is normally our base. The Czech Republic had first crack at it, and decided to use that facility.
“The Croatians have taken St Andrews, which would have been a good facility for us as well.
“We looked at what else was around in Scotland, and thought about the fact I want to be in a good camp where we can focus.
“I think being away from home, being detached, will benefit us in terms of preparation, and making sure we are ready for the matches.
“The word mayhem has been used ( in terms of supporter excitement around the Finals) and that might be the case.
“Hopefully everybody is a bit more active, and a little more out and about when we get to the summer months.”
Clarke, who led Scotland through the tension of penalty shoot- out victories against Israel and Serbia in the playoffs to get the Euros, argues the move is evidence of the desire to make an impact on the Finals.
“We are not going to the Euros just to play the group games. We want to get out of the group,” he said.
“We want to be the first Scotland team to get to the knock- out stage of a major tournament.
“Just going away a little bit further, a little bit more isolated, will give us that opportunity to prepare properly.
“Getting through to the knock- out stages would be fantastic.”
With preparations for the Euros at an advanced stage, and the World Cup draw out of the way, the 57- year- old has had a chance to reflect on the astonishing events of the last 12 months.
“It’s been a good year. We should be happy with what we’ve achieved – but look to achieve even more in
2021,” Clarke continued.
“We definitely gave the country a big lift in a really difficult period.
“We showed what football can bring to a country, just by winning two games.”
There was no better example of that than the moving footage of Scotland fan, the late Willie Thomson, receiving a special message from Clarke at a time when he was in a hospice with stage four cancer.
“When you see the video of Willie Thomson and the emotion, you think: ‘Jeez!’. You saw what it meant to Willie,” said the national manager. “He was going through a terrible time, getting towards the end of his life. “A nd at th i s moment, I pass my condolences on to his daughter, Anne-Marie, and the rest of his family. It is a really sad time.
“But you saw what it meant to him. When I did the video message, it was meant to be private, not for the public.
“Anyone who saw it, and Willie’s reaction to it, will tell you just how much football means to people in Scotland.”
Clarke has meanwhile been revelling in the unpredictability of the club game in 2020-21.
“It’s been a strange time football- wise. You only have to look at the last four in the League Cup to realise that,” he said.
“It’s fantastic for the clubs who are there, and I think it is brilliant for Scottish football as well because it means the trophies will be shared around.
“Celtic’s achievement of 12 consecutive trophies is marvellous, but you don’t want to see one club dominating all the time.
“I have got to mention the Scottish Cup Final – what an unbelievable game that was.
“It was a great effort from Hearts to push Celtic all the way. Then you had the drama of the penalties.
“I think as a country we are getting to quite enjoy penalty shoot-outs as a way of deciding games!
“We are all heading into a further national lockdown.
“But the one thing we can do is keep football going, and enjoy it because it means a lot.”