What now for Clarke and Scotland?

The agony, nan ignominy and nan agelong roadworthy home. The squad that said they were successful Germany to make history retreated connected Monday pinch a notoriety of an altogether different kind.

Scotland’s capacity was, indeed, nan worldly of legend, successful 1 sense. Their statistic beryllium successful a hallway of shame, aliases 1 of those odditoriums pinch magic mirrors and optical illusions.

Generations would look successful wonderment astatine nan numbers Scotland delivered present and mobility really connected world they could beryllium truthful poor. Two goals (neither of them vanished by a Scottish player) was bad enough, but 3 shots connected target successful 3 games is simply a lamentable figure.

Seven individual players from different nations person had much shots connected target than each of Scotland’s players put together - and six of that 7 person only played 2 games. Fifteen different players person already equalled Scotland’s wide total.

They rank bottommost successful nan shots connected target table, bottommost connected nan expected goals array (an inept 0.97), presently 2nd from bottommost connected nan xG conceded array (4.3) and associated bottommost connected nan attempts connected extremity table. They will extremity up bottommost of that list, too.

It’s only successful nan saves and clearances and tackles categories wherever Scotland are apical end. High marks for heart, nary marks successful galore different senses.

Scotland came to nan Euros and did not occurrence a shot, almost literally. Save for nan tone showed against Switzerland, nan full point was a damp squib. They went retired pinch a whimper.

There are myriad reasons for each of this, immoderate major, immoderate minor, immoderate speculative. The truth is nan demise of this team, from a constituent of 5 consecutive wins during March to September past twelvemonth and nan concession of conscionable 1 extremity - which happened to beryllium an Erling Haaland punishment - has been dependable and alarming.

It started agelong earlier they ever group ft successful Germany. They came present connected nan backmost of 1 triumph successful 9 games - a dreary triumph complete Gibraltar.

Their defence became shaky, their goals dried up. Scott McTominay scored 7 times from 8 attempts connected target successful qualification, a freakish return that could not beryllium sustained. Nobody other stepped up.

Che Adams useful difficult but struggled to make an impact, though successful fairness he was not blessed pinch service. Scotland’s forwards plough a joyless furrow.

Steve Clarke’s go-to men became diminished. Was that tiredness? Was it nan enormity of nan juncture getting to them?

They talked from nan very outset astir being nan squad that yet sewage done a group shape astatine a awesome title and past could not backmost up their talk pinch action. In 2 of nan 3 games they carried virtually nary threat.

Did they out-psyche themselves? You would request a squad of boffins to fig retired nan analyzable psychology of each player, but they were not themselves - obscurity near.

John McGinn has not looked thing for illustration nan McGinn immortalised successful song. Among Scotland’s main men, he was acold from unsocial successful seeing nan tourney walk him by.

Injuries deed successful elephantine and destructive waves and Scotland limped into nan Euros.

Clarke tried to explicate distant nan tally of losses connected nan roadworthy to Germany arsenic friendlies against nan elite (no shame successful losing against Europe’s dense hitters), dormant rubber group games and glorified training sessions. It will beryllium each correct connected nan night, he said.

It was not and anybody watching nan deterioration of this squad pinch dispassionate eyes (not easy fixed nan unthinkable emotion involved) mightiness person predicted it.

Clarke railed against nan Argentine referee who refused to springiness Scotland a punishment they astir apt deserved connected Sunday nighttime - but his comments were crass, to put it mildly. Heat of nan infinitesimal stuff, for sure, but those words he utilized were for illustration overmuch of what Scotland did successful Germany - misguided.

What was much pertinent was nan complete absence of aggression and strength successful astir of Scotland’s performance. What backfired was Clarke’s ain rigid belief that picking nan aforesaid players successful nan aforesaid positions was going to nutrient a different result to nan ones seen for 9 aliases 10 months now.

It’s a Clarke mantra that he believes successful his players - aliases a halfway group of players, though plentifulness did not spot immoderate crippled time. He, possibly, believes excessively much.

He was not blessed pinch options, but he had James Forrest and Lawrence Shankland playing no–part and a bit-part, he had substitutions he could person made to shingle things up and he either did not make them aliases made them excessively precocious successful nan day.

His squad was passive, flat, unthreatening. They went retired meekly and there’s now an understandable attraction connected Clarke and his squad selection, squad statement and in-game problem solving. 'In Clarke We Trust' is simply a building that did nan rounds a while back, but nary longer.

He’s been magnificent successful guiding Scotland to back-to-back championships and has nan unwavering support of everybody astatine nan Scottish FA.

If he wants to transportation connected past he will. However, he has to find ways of making this squad play pinch much occurrence and ambition.

Had Scotland gone retired successful a blaze of action and ambition past nan fans would person taken it connected nan chin. There was nary of that.

The re-introduction of Kieran Tierney and Aaron Hickey will make a difference. Lewis Ferguson’s clip is surely coming, conscionable arsenic soon arsenic he has recovered from nan wounded that ended what was a superb Serie A run pinch Bologna.

Scotland request nan width and gait of Ben Doak. They request to spot if Tommy Conway has it. If Clarke is to enactment past he needs to accommodate - and now.

He has Poland, Portugal and Croatia arsenic Nations League rivals. The fatalists would opportunity Scotland will beryllium 1 triumph successful 18 erstwhile those games conclude.

Pessimistic, nary doubt, but that’s not an outlandish forecast. There are reliable days up for Clarke.

Fans will beryllium little forgiving aft this Euros nonaccomplishment compared to nan last. One constituent past and 1 constituent now. Where’s nan progress? What lessons are being learned?

Some will beryllium convinced his clip should beryllium up, that he has taken this squad arsenic acold arsenic he can.

Scotland vanished wherever their world ranking suggested they would but it was nan mode of it that was nan problem, nan non-performance successful 2 games retired of three, nan deficiency of extremity threat and nan show of a superb opportunity passing them by.

We astir apt will not perceive from Clarke for a small while but it will beryllium absorbing to perceive to him erstwhile he resurfaces.

Has he sewage nan ideas and nan power to thrust connected done nan uncertainty that now faces him? What does he deliberation went incorrect and really does he intend to put it right?

Surely nan penny has dropped now that much of nan aforesaid is not bully enough.