Why are Scotland so bad under Steve Clarke?

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Why are Scotland so bad under Steve Clarke?


As readers consuming our output today will have noticed, we’re having a look at Scotland, and given it’s the international break it seems extraordinarily apposite to do so.

And right now it’s becoming apparent that Steve Clarke’s stunning spell as Kilmarnock manager was like Claudio Ranieri’s at Leicester – the right man in the right place at the right time. Or, as it’s more commonly-described, ‘a fluke’.

Clarke is a career managerial failure. Aside that bizarre aberration at Rugby Park, his entire management career has been as lackey to real managers or as an unsuccessful coach in England’s lower tiers, if we include Reading.

But his spell in Killie made him look like arguably the best manager under the saltire, and his rotten conduct towards Rangers went rather unchallenged.

Now he’s being exposed at national level and giving us the worst Scotland team we’ve ever had.

Let’s look at the get-out clauses:

1: Scotland don’t have good players.

Ok, that’s the only one. Well guess what – the national coach is the one who picks them, and this is the same coach who thought Eamonn Brophy was good enough to represent his nation.

We saw a very accurate comment made recently – the obsession with this NT over picking English Championship or League One players is part of its downfall.

The SPFL might not be littered with world class talent, but the last time Scotland was any good it was filled with players from Rangers, Celtic other SPL sides and English Premier League teams.

2007, look at the team that just missed out to Italy:

Gordon, Hutton, Weir, McManus, Naysmith, Brown (Miller 74), Fletcher, Hartley, Ferguson, McCulloch (Boyd 90), McFadden.

Hearts, Rangers, Rangers, Celtic, Everton, Celtic, Rangers, Man Utd, Celtic, Rangers, Rangers, Rangers, Everton.

Now it’s all dross from the Scottish Championship and EFL League One.

And it’s Clarke picking them.

We can’t help feeling this lad and his anti-Rangers rhetoric is one of the many things hurting him. And we can’t help enjoying his plight at the NT after being heralded as the saviour.

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7 COMMENTS

  1. To be fair the SPFL is of such a low standard that he is limited in what he has available but it is possible to coach a side using the players you`ve got , to be at least hard to break down but he can`t even do that .
    Lets be honest there are very few " fit " players that he could pick.
    We don`t have a decent goalie, right back , centre halfs or strikers so its difficult but he doesn`t seem to be able to see where the opposition will hurt us .After the first game against Russia he must have known big Dzyuba would rag doll the two he picked , they are as weak as water so why not go for someone like Berra who could match him physically .I know it looks like a step back but its got to be horses for courses sometime and he`s better than Mulgrew and Devlin , who can`t even get a regular game for the sheep. Clarke is an imposter .

  2. What's wrong with any manager that takes that job. Strachan failed, even McLeish failed and now Clarke. Not that he's great shakes. But Rangers would be better just dis-associating, from it all together. If I had my way, which I don't. Waste of time.

  3. Payback time for dumping the famous out the spl,what goes around

    No surrender watp🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

  4. Was bang average in England, came up to Scotland and done what ? Won what ?, so lets make this grumpy dour faced genius the Scotland manager, ye brilliant. WATP

  5. Scotland aren't bad under Stevie Clarke. They are bad under everyone. And I'm loving it. This stems from SPFL players thinking they are Johnny big baws because they were winning trophies or competing in finals while Rangers, and at various times, Hearts and Hibs were in the lower leagues. The thought of the hugely over rated Scott Brown as the long term captain typifies that and saddens me when you think of some of the great players who have had the armband in the past.

  6. Clark deserves every misery that's coming to him. His conduct towards our fans and club was atrocious. His childish speech at the end of the last game for Killie "Goodbye Rangers"!? No Stevie, farewell to yourself when you get sacked for being the worst Scotland manager ever!! dick!!

  7. Am i the only one here that actually wants Scotland to do well? Whether or not certain managers, media or SFA dont want to provide our players respect im still Scottish. I dont care for Clarke, tge tartan army or everyone else who hates us im used to it now. Im still Scottish, proud to be Scottish and yeah embarrassed at our team. Personally i feel we should bring back a foreigner rule because we need to start trusting our own youngsters. If we cant then we have to have a good look at ourselves as a nation. The reserve team competitiond etc are a joke, wheres the competition there? As a country we are so backward we would rather fail than see progression because that might suit a competitor

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