The tempting thing to do after Scotland’s agonising, self-inflicted defeat to Poland (well, after screaming into a pillow for several minutes) would be to lump the result onto the pile of disappointing outcomes from the run of one win in 12 that preceded it, and surmise that Steve Clarke’s race as manager is run.
It is of course now one win in 13 for the national side, but to group this performance with the rest of that sorry sequence does it a disservice, and fails to acknowledge the stark contrast between what was served up at Hampden this week and what we witnessed at the Euros in particular.
Once the numbness from this latest boot to the nether regions had subsided a little, what was undeniable was that this game represented a step forward for Clarke’s Scotland, however modest it may have been and despite the wearyingly familiar outcome.
There are ways to lose a game, and while three self-inflicted wounds including two needless penalty concessions with one right at the death may not seem like a particularly palatable way to do so, the underlying performance had much to console the Tartan Army.
It certainly feels a great deal better than the sinking feeling we had after the Hungary defeat in Germany, when the pain of the loss was exacerbated by the feeling that we hadn’t really done all that we could to win. That we had held something back, and left something out on the field.
For all the failings of Scotland on Thursday night, that charge could neither be laid at Clarke’s door nor that of his players.
Yes, you can quibble over personnel and his choice to go with familiar faces over the fresh blood like Ryan Gauld and Ben Doak, who both showed up well when they eventually were thrown onto the pitch with around 20 minutes to go.
And yes, you can lament the errors of Anthony Ralston and Hanley in particular, but the truth is that at both ends of the field, Scotland are not blessed with world class talent. In fact, what they have in these areas are decent players who are as honest as the day is long, but who are undoubtedly limited at the level. Not to mention ring-rusty, finding minutes hard to come by at their clubs so far this term.
In the past, Clarke has set out to mitigate the weaknesses in his backline (and the obvious need to accommodate two of his star men in Kieran Tierney and Andy Robertson) by going with a back three.
The shift to a 4-2-3-1 on Thursday night with Tierney absent instead helped Scotland get more out of the one area of the team that can stand up against just about any company, the midfield, accentuating our own strengths rather than making allowances for our weaknesses.
It almost paid off, and but for those frustrating individual errors, it would have resulted in a deserved win for the Scots.
Read more:
- Scotland 2 Poland 3: Stirring fightback undone by errors as Scots fall to defeat
- Clarke refuses to blame Hanley for Scotland defeat and thanks fans for backing
Regardless, it was certainly easier on the eye, and even amidst the stunned desolation around Hampden at the end of the night there was also an appreciation not only of the guts shown by the players, but of the football they had tried to play along the way.
It is likely that more pain lies in wait as Scotland try to navigate their first bash at the A section of the Nations League without stretching their recent miserable record to one win in 18, not least in Lisbon on Sunday night. But I hope Clarke resists the urge to retreat into his familiar, cautious approach, and sets his team out to play once more against the Portuguese superstars.
Scotland may well lose again, no matter what they do, but if we ever want to move forward as a team then we have to become more than just a well-organised unit who pack the defence, try to hang on and nick a goal.
That has brought us success to a point in the past, but for all the lamentations about the lack of ability the Scotland side has in certain areas, the level of player we do now possess in others should mean that we look to move away from that dour national identity.
This Nations League campaign may present little opportunity of sealing a play-off spot for the World Cup or even the guaranteed pot one seeding that would come with finishing in the top two, but it does present an opportunity nonetheless to take that first step towards ‘evolving’ the team – as Clarke put it - towards a more forward-thinking footing.
We could revert to the back three, still lose all the matches and learn nothing. Or we could embrace a new direction of travel, take any losses on the chin and develop the team towards one that is well equipped to take on the World Cup qualifiers when they do roll around.
I know which Scotland I preferred watching between the summer and Thursday evening.
