Do you believe in moral victories? We don’t. And so, we’re not putting much stock in Scotland’s 0-0 draw with Portugal this week (or, for that matter, Ireland’s strong showing against what many pundits have described as a Greece side on the rise).
There have been rumblings, really since the Euros this summer, about whether Steve Clarke is still the best man to lead the national side. Yes, his squad are winless in their last eight fixtures (the most recent victory coming against Gibraltar—and not a convincing one at that), but is there a manager out there who knows Scottish football (including players plying their trades in other leagues) better? More importantly, is there a qualified candidate who wants the job?
Unlike England, who had their pick of the litter after Gareth Southgate decided to step down, Scotland won’t have “brand-name” managers knocking on the SFA’s door. As alarming as the recent results have been, the association’s apparent inability to identify and train young talent would likely give any potential candidate pause.
If the SFA are mulling a decision on Clarke before the next international break, in mid-November, they may want to consider what happened after Ireland sacked Stephen Kenny. The time to remove and replace Kenny had long past, but the embarrassing—and shambolic—process the FAI undertook to identify his successor appeared to include multiple delays and wrong turns. Not to mention top candidates named in the press who eventually, it seems, the FAI down.
Of course, Ireland ultimately settled on Heimir Hallgrímsson, the former Iceland manager who knows a thing or two about taking a smaller footballing nation against much larger ones, and that may work out. Still, supporters of the green and white will need to be patient.
And patience may something the Tartan Army has in short supply.
