I wouldn’t be surprised if Clarke walked after horror Euros, says ex-teammate

BILLY DODDS admits he wouldn’t be surprised if Steve Clarke QUITS as Scotland gaffer following our Euro 2024 flop. 

The ex-Rangers striker has known the Hampden gaffer since they were both at Chelsea back in the 1980s. 

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And after getting flak for the sorry way Scotland slumped out of the tournament in Germany with defeat to Hungary last Sunday, Dodds wonders if the 60-year-old will have now had enough. 

Dodds, who believes Clarke SHOULD lead the nation into the World Cup 2026 qualifiers, said: “I wouldn’t be surprised, knowing how strong-minded he was at Chelsea, if he walked. 

“That’s the type he is, when he gets stick and all that he’s the type to go ‘I don’t need this any more’. 

“So it wouldn’t surprise me if he walked. I’m not saying he will, but I wouldn’t be surprised. 

“Do I think he’s the man? I think he deserves another shot to get us there. 

“He will have learned and he should have learned how to have more of a go when you get to a finals.” 

Dodds reckons Scotland looked a team suffering a confidence crisis by the time they reached Munich to open the competition against Germany. 

And believes the decision to face big guns France, England and Holland backfired.  

He told the BBC: “I wonder if the friendlies Steve took in the build up started to drain the confidence a bit. 

“It looks like it dented us a bit playing France, Holland and England. 

“The players have to be stronger but it does dunt you a bit when you’re not scoring and conceding goals. 

“I can understand it because you want to get ready for that level of opposition, but, for me I think that’s definitely played a little part when it comes to confidence levels. 

“When Stevie goes away and sits down in his house to think about it, I don’t think he’ll be saying to himself ‘we were close’. 

“I think Stevie will know we left something out there, we didn’t have an attacking threat. 

“It has been another kick in the teeth because it was so close.” 

Dodds, who picked up 26 caps for Scotland, reckons too many of Clarke’s top players didn’t turn up in Germany. 

He said: “When you get there I think the pressure is off because you’ve done your job so now go and do something at the tournament. 

“There’s always pressure but what I mean is look at Georgia, they were behind us in qualifying but once they got there they’ve just thought the monkey’s off the back so let’s have a go. 

“We have to find a way to be a threat as a team. 

“It would be great to find a Ben Doak, let’s hope he gets a game for Liverpool and is a revelation. 

“But if not, we have to find a way as a team to be more threatening. 

“I think we have talent but it didn’t turn up – where were the big players? 

“Did John McGinn play well? Did Scott McTominay? I know he scored a goal but I don’t think he did what he can do. 

“Did Andy Robertson play well? Our big talent didn’t turn up.

“I don’t think we played well enough, building from the back, over any of the three games.” 

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