Cowardly Steve Clarke and his Shameful Scotland | OneFootball

Well we can’t really just ignore Scotland’s shame of the national team and the embarrassment that is Steve Clarke, can we?

Long-term readers of Ibrox Noise know we’re not the biggest fans of Scotland’s national team, given the way Rangers were cast out in 2009 and never given any serious sight since then.

We’ve been a pariah to SFA FC and sorry, but this is a Rangers site, not a Scotland site, and our priority is the club, not the country, so it was with interest we tuned into watch the opening ceremony of German dancers putting 5 past the designated visitors.

The fact is this was the same cowardly Scotland Clarke sent out in 2021 for the delayed Euros, while a few personnel were different the tactics were the same – ‘stop them scoring’.

And the tactics in that purpose were non-existent, Clarke utterly found out yet again, with his sideline and press conference antics proving that while he might be able to get a Scotland side to a major championship, he cannot come close to coping with that level once there. Think Rangers and Celtic in the Champions League these days.

He’s completely out of his depth, and let’s not pretend the team didn’t have the players.

McTominay, McGinn, McGregor, Hendry… there were some decent players in that XI, but the manager, as he did three years ago, reduced them to some League 2 mob up against Manchester City.

Not an ounce of having a go, just sit in and protect.

Some Tartan Army fans claim this Germany is amazingly good, as a way to make themselves feel better – in reality it’s the worst Germany team in a generation filled with inexperience and ancient warriors. They’re not horrible, but by their standards, it’s a terrible side. They were distant third favourites to win this, and they’re 16th in the FIFA rankings. Mexico and USA are miles above them.

And Scotland made them look spectacular. And suffered the ignominy of the worst-ever opening loss for a Euros.

We knew this would happen – doesn’t matter what players you have if your manager is out of his depth.

And Clarke is drowning.