GIVE ME A SIGN
Clarke appeals to his players ahead of Belgium crunch
Steve Clarke has called on his players to help him cure the apathy that is engulfing the Tartan Army.
Following Friday’s Hampden defeat to Russia, Scotland’s chances of qualifying for Euro 2020 via the group stage hang by a thread.
With the world’ s No .1 outfit, Belgium, next up and the Russians at home to Kazakhstan, any hope could be extinguished before 10pm tomorrow night. The Scotland boss said: “We have to lift the apathy, it won’t lift itself.
“They will only come if we give them something to shout about.
“We have to give the supporters a sign that we’re going to be a good team in the future.”
Steve Clarke has admitted the task of curing the Tartan Army’s crisis of confidence lies squarely on his shoulders.
Beaten at Hampden by Russia on Friday night, Scotland would now require a miracle to qualify for Euro 2020 by the traditional route.
Mathematically it might remain possible, but all logic points to the remaining five games in Group, including tomorrow’s visit of world No. 1- ranked Belgium to Glasgow, being preparation for the Nations League play-offs. To be held in March 2020, they offer the country an attractive, if complicated, back- door route to the Euros.
Put simply, beat Bulgaria at Hampden in the semi- final then either Serbia or Norway in a venue to be determined in a oneoff final and the two-decade long wait to get back to a major final will be over.
Pr i or i ty one for the new manager, is to galvanise a support that has become disillusioned and, increasingly, disengaged after a long succession of wearying setbacks.
“We have to lift the apathy, it won’t lift itself,” said Clarke, whose disappointment and frustration at Friday’s failure was etched in the lines of his face.
“As a collective: the coaching staff, the players and I have to give the fans something to make them want to be at our games again.
“They will only come if we give them something to shout about. “The crowd might be smaller on Monday, but if we can get a good result then maybe the next time we will get a few more.
“We have to give the supporters a sign that we’re going to be a good team in the future.
“You read things and speak to people, and the sense you get is that people become resigned to not qualifying.
“I think the attitude is ‘typical Scotland’ because we gave people hope on Friday, we started well and then went in front.
“At that stage people were probably thinking ‘we might do alright here’ and then suddenly the game runs away again.
“I can imagine people just thinking, ‘not again!’, so we have to change that and the only way to do it is to get a big win.
“Can we do it? Why not? We have to try.
“We have to believe we can do it. If I sit here and think we can’t do it, then what do I say to the players.
“I believe we can do it and we all have to go into the game believing we can do it.
“You are never going to erase all the disappointment because it was a pivotal game in the group, but we have a chance to go away from the camp in a more positive frame of mind and looking forward to the two games next month.” While the national coach has no choice but to ask and urge his players to keep chasing points in the hope of what would be a near astonishing qualification from the group, he is also turning his attention to the tweaks that would give Scotland their best chance in the Nations League ties.
Specifically in relation to the Russia loss, how to balance a midfield which is adding to up less than the sum of its parts.
“They are all good footballers but we need to find someone in there with a bit more defensive nous,” he said.
“When Kenny Mclean went on, it helped and suited the midfield quite well and that is something I will have to think about in the future.
“We’ll need to find a formula that gets us the best players on the pitch and the best way of playing.”
For tomorrow night, expect Ryan Christie, who Clarke is a big fan of yet has little time to work with, to be given a start playing in the number ten role behind the strikers.
Mclean who finished the match on Friday likewise looks good to get an early involvement while Oliver Mcburnie, who picked up a knock early in the game, should be fine to lead the line .
or eM important than personnel, t hough, will be performance.
As Clarke acknowledged, a nation, which has come to expect the worse, needs lifted and lifted now.