Time to go Steve Clarke

[Bing.McCrosby]

Overall performances and results have been poor.

We managed to get to this tournament by an excellent draw with serbia. A game we should have won in the 90mins. That along with the England game is our only good performances under Clarke.

Hes produced some good performances when our backs to the wall. But thats it. He's unable to win games at home, we always look like the away team.

He got us to a tournament for the first time in 23 years, but we were not good. 2 home games and 0 points, its unforgivable.

Hes already made a terrible start to the next qualifying. Its time we parted ways, hes never going to be a good manager for us.

Last night as Souness says was dark ages stuff. Also the wrong team and tactics. 

But the worst thing of all was the reluctance to change things. We were on top in spells for the first half. Croatia started to control the game and we left the players out there to rot. Rather than freshen things up and get back at them. 

The changes were to litte to late and now were out. Arguably the worst team in the tournament.

Yes turkey and North Macedonia lost all 3 games, but neither played a home game. And we played 2. 

Nothing against the guy, I want every scotland manager to succeed. But its been poor overall. It really has.

Strachan when we went deserved to go, but he had the team playing better than this. Were going nowhere.

 

[HuttonDressedAsLahm]

Steve Clarke may have his limitations, but we're nowhere near having identified them yet.

This squad, and team, have improved markedly since he first came in.

He's done what EVERY manager over the last 20 years has failed to do, and brought in new, and young, players.  There's a reason we had the least experienced squad of all the Euro 2020 nations, and none of that is Clarke's fault.

If we timidly exit the WC qualification process, then perhaps we have a problem to deal with, but you're miles off at the moment.

[Ro Sham Bo]

2 minutes ago, HuttonDressedAsLahm said:

 

If we timidly exit the WC qualification process, then perhaps we have a problem to deal with, but you're miles off at the moment.

We're already well on the way to exiting. Unless something miraculous happens in the next round of matches he should be sacked so someone else gets a chance to build for the next Euros.

[HuttonDressedAsLahm]

1 minute ago, Ro Sham Bo said:

We're already well on the way to exiting. Unless something miraculous happens in the next round of matches he should be sacked so someone else gets a chance to build for the next Euros.

The facts show that we're unbeaten in WC qualifying, and we've just got to our first finals in 23 years.

Clarke has built an exciting and young team, and though 2/3 results were disappointing, and performances weren't great, we weren't awful and did create chances.

Looking to bin Clarke is blinkered reactionary thinking.

I could give a list of the aspects I don't love, and that need serious work, but none are sufficient to justify getting rid.

[Ro Sham Bo]

1 minute ago, HuttonDressedAsLahm said:

The facts show that we're unbeaten in WC qualifying, and we've just got to our first finals in 23 years.

Clarke has built an exciting and young team, and though 2/3 results were disappointing, and performances weren't great, we weren't awful and did create chances.

Looking to bin Clarke is blinkered reactionary thinking.

I could give a list of the aspects I don't love, and that need serious work, but none are sufficient to justify getting rid.

If you find aimless hoofs up to the 'target man' exciting then fair play.

Fingers crossed someone like Swindon offer him a return to English football and he jumps ship.

[Bing.McCrosby]

Just now, HuttonDressedAsLahm said:

The facts show that we're unbeaten in WC qualifying, and we've just got to our first finals in 23 years.

Clarke has built an exciting and young team, and though 2/3 results were disappointing, and performances weren't great, we weren't awful and did create chances.

Looking to bin Clarke is blinkered reactionary thinking.

I could give a list of the aspects I don't love, and that need serious work, but none are sufficient to justify getting rid.

Its alot more than 2 or 3 results.

Honestly do you think the games against the Czechs and Croatia went well? Or do you think it would have been impossible for another manager to have had us playing better in those games?

I dont think we were exciting last night, I thought we were timid and lacking ideas. Defensively we were organised and at times pressed well. But we ran out of steam and didn't change anything until it was to late.

[DanMc99]

I'mo nowhere near this verdict yet.

 

he deserves the WC qualifiers. I want to see him be that bit braver at times instead of setting up not to lose. if we fail or don't improve then questions about him being sacked will be more just IMO.

[Ludo*1]

I don't think he should go, but if, as expected, we whimper out of the WC qualification process, then he has to go. 

[Thorongil]

I am disappointed in Clarke’s performance at this tournament, but one does not throw the baby out with the bath water. 
 

I hope he has learned something very valuable and we can go on to win our World Cup qualification Group. That needs to be the target. Second place will not get us there given who we would likely have to play off against. 
 

Other countries are not scared to play their best young talent. Patterson and Gilmour must now be near automatic picks. 

Dykes will have to a hell of a lot to be picked again. 
 

Armstrong should not be picked again. 

 

[DanMc99]

Just now, Thorongil said:

I am disappointed in Clarke’s performance at this tournament, but one does not throw the baby out with the bath water. 
 

I hope he has learned something very valuable and we can go on to win our World Cup qualification Group. That needs to be the target. Second place will not get us there given who we would likely have to play off against. 
 

Other countries are not scared to play their best young talent. Patterson and Gilmour must now be near automatic picks. 

Dykes will have to a hell of a lot to be picked again. 
 

Armstrong should not be picked again. 

 

I think the same, if he learns from this , which i think he will then we will be ok but if we play the likes of israel and still approach with caution that'll cost him his job.

[craigkillie]

3 minutes ago, Thorongil said:

I am disappointed in Clarke’s performance at this tournament, but one does not throw the baby out with the bath water. 
 

I hope he has learned something very valuable and we can go on to win our World Cup qualification Group. That needs to be the target. Second place will not get us there given who we would likely have to play off against. 
 

Other countries are not scared to play their best young talent. Patterson and Gilmour must now be near automatic picks. 

Dykes will have to a hell of a lot to be picked again. 
 

Armstrong should not be picked again. 

 

 

[HuttonDressedAsLahm]

6 minutes ago, BingMcCrosby said:

Its alot more than 2 or 3 results.

Honestly do you think the games against the Czechs and Croatia went well? Or do you think it would have been impossible for another manager to have had us playing better in those games?

I dont think we were exciting last night, I thought we were timid and lacking ideas. Defensively we were organised and at times pressed well. But we ran out of steam and didn't change anything until it was to late.

It's 2/3 from EC. I'll give him a pass on the last couple of years trying to find an entirely new team and build a structure that works.  The honeymoon period is over.

Launching the ball to Dykes was caveman football, and remarkably ineffective.

Again, not going to get carried away and fire the guy, to replace him with... who exactly?

[Donathan]

I think he deserves at least the WCQ's and probably even a chance to make the next Euros

[crazylegsjoe_mfc]

4 minutes ago, BingMcCrosby said:

Its alot more than 2 or 3 results.

Honestly do you think the games against the Czechs and Croatia went well? Or do you think it would have been impossible for another manager to have had us playing better in those games?

I dont think we were exciting last night, I thought we were timid and lacking ideas. Defensively we were organised and at times pressed well. But we ran out of steam and didn't change anything until it was to late.

A striker who has racked up £70 million in transfer fees scored a great double against us in the first game, understandably we were frustrated with Hendry and Marshall, but it was incredible technique by Schick and 99 times out of 100 that goal doesn't go in.

We got a credible draw with England, in their home ground.

We competed very well against Croatia (finalists at the last major tournament) for a good hour before a piece of brilliance from a Ballon D'or winner only three years ago undone us, followed by a goal from a guy who is fresh from winning Serie A.

You are absolutely miles off it wanting him to go. This isn't getting beaten by Georgia or drawing with the Faroe Islands.

[Neil86]

I am definitely not in the Clarke out camp, far from it. One thing I would say though is that most sides we come up against pass the ball around much better than we do, even Luxembourg were able to pop it around better in spells. We make Israel look like world beaters every time. 

Gilmour coming into the fold will make a huge difference there, he drops into that hole between the defence and midfield, takes the ball and uses it. Turnbull is another one who looks after the ball well that we will hopefully see more of. 

[DanMc99]

I'm not critical of clarke for last night or friday.

 

I am disappointed in how he approached that first game, it was far too cagey and set the tone for that game and also ended up giving us too much to do.

[ArabianKnight]

1 minute ago, crazylegsjoe_mfc said:

A striker who has racked up £70 million in transfer fees scored a great double against us in the first game, understandably we were frustrated with Hendry and Marshall, but it was incredible technique by Schick and 99 times out of 100 that goal doesn't go in.

We got a credible draw with England, in their home ground.

We competed very well against Croatia (finalists at the last major tournament) for a good hour before a piece of brilliance from a Ballon D'or winner only three years ago undone us, followed by a goal from a guy who is fresh from winning Serie A.

You are absolutely miles off it wanting him to go. This isn't getting beaten by Georgia or drawing with the Faroe Islands.

This. Absolutely this. 

 

We've hardly disgraced ourselves here. And the folk that moaned and moaned to bring younger less experienced players in need to temper that desire with that fact that mistakes will be made. 

Steve Clarke is a manager who has shown he can learn. Let's see what September brings performance wise before calling for his head. 

[DanMc99]

3 minutes ago, ArabianKnight said:

This. Absolutely this. 

 

We've hardly disgraced ourselves here. And the folk that moaned and moaned to bring younger less experienced players in need to temper that desire with that fact that mistakes will be made. 

Steve Clarke is a manager who has shown he can learn. Let's see what September brings performance wise before calling for his head. 

also i think we need to remember its our first tournament in a long time, unlike wales we don't have that superstar to rely on to win us games on their own.

 

hopefully this is the start of us being a bit more confident and brave going forward. If clarke reverts to the way we set up v Czechs he wont last much longer but i think he will now go with the likes of gilmour and mcgregor in the middle, maybe see more of patterson and turnbull etc.

 

I hope we can find that edge in front of goal, thats the big question mark.

Edited June 23, 2021 by DanMc99

[Scorge]

Really?

The truth is, as always, somewhere in the middle of the extremes between 'GTF' and 'Sir Steve'. The team is crying out for a clinical finisher, but there's more about this team than most we've had to endure in the last decade or so, and while one point feels slightly harsh, the younger players will learn and be better for the experience moving forward. This was always the type of group where 4-5 points was possible if everything aligned, but equally the type where you could get 0 or 1. Fine margins. The Czech game was below par, but we gave two cleverer sides problems after that, and uncovered a cracker of a player against ingerlund (who couldn't play the following game, alas). 

Let him get on with the WCQ and see where it leads.

[Les Cabbage]

Delete this before anyone see’s mate