Clarke fronted cameras in victory but bristled in defeat, as Scotland’s lack of belief and direction was brutally exposed on the world stage once again.
I hate to interfere but Scottish football thrived before the EPL was introduced and deliberately went international (to sell television rights). Scottish players were coveted by a clubs in England for their skill and tenacity. The current issue probably lies with a less competitive domestic competition. Maybe if Hearts had won the league, were able to attract better players, encouraged other non auld firm teams to do tge same tgen the national team would perform better
Celtic and Rangers have dominated the league for decades and yes we could agree that the competitive nature of the domestic game isn't there - thats been the story since the 1980s.
Imo the issue started with Sky. Sky money flooding into the English game, wages sky rocketing even for bang average players saw not only foreigners attracted to the English game, it also attracted Scottish players as well - the likes of Celtic can't keep a hold of their own youth players because English clubs snap them up at 16 with pro contracts for significantly more wages than they'd get paid in Scotland for. Before they get farmed out on loan 4 or 5 times before their development stalls and they then play in lower leagues in England or back at a mid or lower league Scottish Prem side.
As soon as Scottish clubs flooded their ranks with foreign players for short term gain at the expense of player development and a long term strategy - this had an impact on the Scotland national team.
BUT above all - Scotland is bereft of top quality coaching from Scottish managers that would be at a level to manage Scotland. So we are left with a guy who managed less than 200 games in his career for three sides that were mid table at best in their respect leagues - before he got the gig. All because the Scottish FA doesnt want to go the foreign manager route after Berti Vogts and don't want to invest in a proper manager that can get the best out of what we have.
Don't get me started on the mess of the SPFL and Scottish FA themselves. Everything in Scottish football is for short term gain and for little money spent as possible.
All good points, but my suggestion is that the money in England has effectively squeezed Scottish players out of better class competition. Now Celtic and Rangers attract all the best players. The best way to make the national team more competitive is to make the domestic competition more competitive, or create a pipeline channelling players to the big European leagues
The one thing I don’t understand about Scottish football is why the clubs rely almost totally on imported players. Celtic and Rangers would be no worse off internationally if they played with Scottish players only and promoted young Scottish managers. The simple act of institutionalised youth development would transform the game domestically as well as the national team. Unlike in England where the situation is the same, Scotland has nothing to lose…
Hey Guy, for clubs like Celtic and Rangers there is a huge focus on short term success and long term strategy is thrown out the window. Rangers are trying to stop Celtic’s dominance and so they buy/strengthen for the here and now. While Celtic want to continue dominating so they look at short termism also, but their main focus is buying players low and selling high - project player transfer business. Neither helps youth development neither does the EPL clubs or European clubs poaching Scottish youth players at the age of 16 offering them pro contracts at hugely inflated wages that Scottish teams cannot compete with.
Exactly right Andy. It takes courage to step off the treadmill and there is little incentive for Celtic to do so. But there could be tangible medium to long-term benefits for Rangers if they did. I can’t see any other way that they can break Celtic’s stranglehold. What have they got to lose. Neither club has any impact beyond Scotland and Rangers currently have little impact within Scotland. I’m not saying that buying international players is wrong. My club, Crystal Palace have won our first two trophies by doing just that. I think we are the ninth most represented club at the World Cup. But that comes at a cost because I can’t see England getting beyond the last 16 at the World Cup. Palace have a great youth setup which could be producing future England players but their pathway is largely blocked and this is true across the English game.
It's been embarrassing watch for a home nation. So-called minows: Haiti, Congo, Cape Verde, Curacao, as you astutley observed, played ambitious, interlocking and technically competent football. Scotland by contrast, looked clunky, outdated and at times frankly seemed terrified that they are at a World Cup.
I'm a proud Scotsman but the only surprise for me was that we won a game. I said before the tournament that we'd lose all three games so the fact we didn't proved me wrong. The biggest problem for me is we've got a world class support and a Temu quality manager, Clarke is everything that is wrong with the game in this country, passive, cautious and risk averse which is why I'm surprised the Celtic board didn't offer him the vacant manager's job before Martin got it. The sixth floor at Hampden needs gutted from top to bottom the SFA and SPFL aren't fit for purpose and happened been for a long time, it shows in the way they refused a regulator in Scottish football and how Iain Maxwell said with a straight face that we didn't need one is risible. They're acting like they did in the 60's, again a bit like the Celtic board, they're never proactive they're always reactive and usually when it's too late. There's no transparency in anything they do and that's why supporters of all clubs don't trust them. Clarke is a fossil as a manager and until we get Hampden and get some real change and forward thinking people then nothing will change, Scotland getting to tournaments is the limit for our national team whether we like that ir not Andy and until the supporters elicit change and I mean real change then that will be the status quo for us as a nation I'm afraid.
Leighton, Hansen, Gough, Miller, Narey, McLeish, Burns, Souness, Strachan, Bannon, Wark, Aitken, Bett, Dalglish, Gray, Brazil, Sturrock and many other Scottish greats, we're developed by clubs playing in the top two Scottish divisions, that each had 18 clubs. In 1975, we changed to a top league of just 10 clubs (14 in the league below) and the development of young Scottish talent can be traced back to that change.
This is all at the brogue clad dinosaur’s feet clinging on to their little staunch ramparts in Hampden.
Refusal to change or adapt. I started watching fitba with my auld man almost sixty years ago and still today when I go watch a professional game, still fucking today I hear coaches and managers shouting “man oan, man oan”
I hate to interfere but Scottish football thrived before the EPL was introduced and deliberately went international (to sell television rights). Scottish players were coveted by a clubs in England for their skill and tenacity. The current issue probably lies with a less competitive domestic competition. Maybe if Hearts had won the league, were able to attract better players, encouraged other non auld firm teams to do tge same tgen the national team would perform better
Hi Craig,
Celtic and Rangers have dominated the league for decades and yes we could agree that the competitive nature of the domestic game isn't there - thats been the story since the 1980s.
Imo the issue started with Sky. Sky money flooding into the English game, wages sky rocketing even for bang average players saw not only foreigners attracted to the English game, it also attracted Scottish players as well - the likes of Celtic can't keep a hold of their own youth players because English clubs snap them up at 16 with pro contracts for significantly more wages than they'd get paid in Scotland for. Before they get farmed out on loan 4 or 5 times before their development stalls and they then play in lower leagues in England or back at a mid or lower league Scottish Prem side.
As soon as Scottish clubs flooded their ranks with foreign players for short term gain at the expense of player development and a long term strategy - this had an impact on the Scotland national team.
BUT above all - Scotland is bereft of top quality coaching from Scottish managers that would be at a level to manage Scotland. So we are left with a guy who managed less than 200 games in his career for three sides that were mid table at best in their respect leagues - before he got the gig. All because the Scottish FA doesnt want to go the foreign manager route after Berti Vogts and don't want to invest in a proper manager that can get the best out of what we have.
Don't get me started on the mess of the SPFL and Scottish FA themselves. Everything in Scottish football is for short term gain and for little money spent as possible.
All good points, but my suggestion is that the money in England has effectively squeezed Scottish players out of better class competition. Now Celtic and Rangers attract all the best players. The best way to make the national team more competitive is to make the domestic competition more competitive, or create a pipeline channelling players to the big European leagues
It's just a circus, nothing more.
The one thing I don’t understand about Scottish football is why the clubs rely almost totally on imported players. Celtic and Rangers would be no worse off internationally if they played with Scottish players only and promoted young Scottish managers. The simple act of institutionalised youth development would transform the game domestically as well as the national team. Unlike in England where the situation is the same, Scotland has nothing to lose…
Hey Guy, for clubs like Celtic and Rangers there is a huge focus on short term success and long term strategy is thrown out the window. Rangers are trying to stop Celtic’s dominance and so they buy/strengthen for the here and now. While Celtic want to continue dominating so they look at short termism also, but their main focus is buying players low and selling high - project player transfer business. Neither helps youth development neither does the EPL clubs or European clubs poaching Scottish youth players at the age of 16 offering them pro contracts at hugely inflated wages that Scottish teams cannot compete with.
Exactly right Andy. It takes courage to step off the treadmill and there is little incentive for Celtic to do so. But there could be tangible medium to long-term benefits for Rangers if they did. I can’t see any other way that they can break Celtic’s stranglehold. What have they got to lose. Neither club has any impact beyond Scotland and Rangers currently have little impact within Scotland. I’m not saying that buying international players is wrong. My club, Crystal Palace have won our first two trophies by doing just that. I think we are the ninth most represented club at the World Cup. But that comes at a cost because I can’t see England getting beyond the last 16 at the World Cup. Palace have a great youth setup which could be producing future England players but their pathway is largely blocked and this is true across the English game.
It's been embarrassing watch for a home nation. So-called minows: Haiti, Congo, Cape Verde, Curacao, as you astutley observed, played ambitious, interlocking and technically competent football. Scotland by contrast, looked clunky, outdated and at times frankly seemed terrified that they are at a World Cup.
Crap, not even worth a read.
Sorry .... that should say "problems with the development of young Scottish talent".
I'm a proud Scotsman but the only surprise for me was that we won a game. I said before the tournament that we'd lose all three games so the fact we didn't proved me wrong. The biggest problem for me is we've got a world class support and a Temu quality manager, Clarke is everything that is wrong with the game in this country, passive, cautious and risk averse which is why I'm surprised the Celtic board didn't offer him the vacant manager's job before Martin got it. The sixth floor at Hampden needs gutted from top to bottom the SFA and SPFL aren't fit for purpose and happened been for a long time, it shows in the way they refused a regulator in Scottish football and how Iain Maxwell said with a straight face that we didn't need one is risible. They're acting like they did in the 60's, again a bit like the Celtic board, they're never proactive they're always reactive and usually when it's too late. There's no transparency in anything they do and that's why supporters of all clubs don't trust them. Clarke is a fossil as a manager and until we get Hampden and get some real change and forward thinking people then nothing will change, Scotland getting to tournaments is the limit for our national team whether we like that ir not Andy and until the supporters elicit change and I mean real change then that will be the status quo for us as a nation I'm afraid.
Leighton, Hansen, Gough, Miller, Narey, McLeish, Burns, Souness, Strachan, Bannon, Wark, Aitken, Bett, Dalglish, Gray, Brazil, Sturrock and many other Scottish greats, we're developed by clubs playing in the top two Scottish divisions, that each had 18 clubs. In 1975, we changed to a top league of just 10 clubs (14 in the league below) and the development of young Scottish talent can be traced back to that change.
This is all at the brogue clad dinosaur’s feet clinging on to their little staunch ramparts in Hampden.
Refusal to change or adapt. I started watching fitba with my auld man almost sixty years ago and still today when I go watch a professional game, still fucking today I hear coaches and managers shouting “man oan, man oan”
Nothing, zero, absolutely nothing has changed!
Embarrassing
Absolutely .
Following Scotland at major tournaments is like following Fabrizio Romano on Twitter during the transfer window.
Both always end in frustration, inaction and disappointment.
this is accurate AF