In the days and weeks which followed Scotland’s exit from Euro 2024, the nation’s football public embarked on a painful inquest into where it had all gone so badly wrong.
Thousands of words were written on the back of that defeat to Hungary. Radio phone-ins were bombarded with angry supporters demanding Steve Clarke should be sacked.
Or, at the very least, he should have the decency to offer his resignation after such a dismal campaign.
For the second Euros in succession, Scotland had stunk the place out.
The one voice which was missing from all of this, of course, was Clarke himself. The Scotland manager essentially went to ground once he returned home from Germany.
He felt there was nothing to be gained from speaking about it publicly. Naming his squad for the upcoming Nations League games against Poland and Portugal, Clarke finally grasped the nettle yesterday. Insisting he never had any thoughts of quitting, he remains determined to see out the final two years of his contract and feels he’s still the right man for the job.
Clarke insists resigning was never in his thoughts while we went to ground upon his return
Scotland stars applaud the travelling fans after meekly bowing out of the summer showpiece
Winning over supporters disheartened by Euro 2024 will be Clarke’s biggest challenge
That’s fine. That’s his prerogative. After taking Scotland back to two major finals, he has earned the right to see things through unless he’s told otherwise by his employers at the SFA.
But there’s no doubt the mood music has changed. Heading into these Nations League games, Clarke’s biggest challenge isn’t to stop Cristiano Ronaldo and the likes.
No. His biggest challenge is to regain the trust and faith of a support who suspect he may well be a spent force as Scotland manager.
Listen, over the piece, Clarke has been good for Scotland. Taking the nation back to two major finals can’t just be written off or discounted, given the generation of failure that had gone before.
But it’s also possible to believe that he may well have taken this team as far as he can. The two are not mutually exclusive.
If things don’t go well at the start of these Nations League games, the fans will turn on him. Of that there is absolutely no question.
Truth be told, performances have been on the slide for a while now. Instance the 1-0 defeat to Northern Ireland at Hampden earlier this year.
That was the night when alarm bells really started ringing. It’s up to Clarke to make the Tartan Army believe in this team again and enjoy watching them.
It’s a long way back after such a dismal showing in the Euros. But, for the time being, he remains convinced that he’s the best man for the job.
Whether fans feel the same way? Well, only time will tell.
