Agree on both parts. I think we are in a similar position to England now with Southgate where they're both doing stuff their predecessors couldn't and we are afraid to take a risk to be better because there is the chance that a newer and better manager spectacularly fails and we end up being in the same position pre-Clarke/Southgate.Very poor last night, lack real creativity in trying to break a team down. I don't know why we just don't persist with Shankland up front. Okay, he might not be up to it but fed up seeing him play really well for Hearts and be a constant threat (and yes that includes against us and Celtic) but then not really given a fair crack come internationals. I'd be giving him at least an hour in the two friendlies before the Euros.
Also think we should be thinking of moving on from Clarke. He's done a lot of good and created a very good platform, but we have some really good players in that squad for the first time in a long while and I'd like to see us push on a bit.
Agreed. Just hope we can get to the Euros with relatively few injury worries but regardless I'd like to see a change in the next 12 months for World Cup qualifying but there is a big risk.Agree on both parts. I think we are in a similar position to England now with Southgate where they're both doing stuff their predecessors couldn't and we are afraid to take a risk to be better because there is the chance that a newer and better manager spectacularly fails and we end up being in the same position pre-Clarke/Southgate.
If we make it out of the groups I think I'd give Clarke another go at the WCQ but if we go out as dismally as we did the last Euros I'd probably look to change it.Agreed. Just hope we can get to the Euros with relatively few injury worries but regardless I'd like to see a change in the next 12 months for World Cup qualifying but there is a big risk.
Nervous about Germany now, they seem to have got their act together.If we make it out of the groups I think I'd give Clarke another go at the WCQ but if we go out as dismally as we did the last Euros I'd probably look to change it.
It took me a while to come around to Clarke. I thought he was the same exact manager as we've had over the last 20 years and didn't expect much of him. At the time I was quite annoyed because the talent pool had significantly improved and the manager didn't meet the standard of that talent. But, then he got us qualified for a tournament and backed him for a bit.For me Clarke was well over-rated up to and around Euro 2020 simply on the basis of qualifying for a tournament. Scraping into a 24-team continental tournament is no real achievement and, had it been a 16 or even 8 team set-up like in previous iterations, we would have been left at home yet again. And we still failed to reach the last 16 even when we did get there. Some individual mistakes and a freak goal granted, but I reckon he got it wrong with McTominay as the no6 against Czech Republic and O'Donnell struggled in both that and the Croatia games, when he really should have embraced the potential of Gilmour and Patterson. So it was basically the same shite as the previous 20 years but presented as a success because we reached a bloated tournament.
To give him his dues, his record in competitive matches since then has been very impressive. He has also resolved the tactical problem presented by having Tierney and Robertson in the same team. We've been poor in recent games though - England, France, Spain, Northern Ireland, Georgia - very little to celebrate in those ties. A lot riding on a respectable showing in the summer.
