He told his players that this was their chance to leave a legacy. Now that it has been achieved, Steve Clarke wants it to become the norm.
Tuesday night’s thrilling 2-0 win over Spain may have been a long time coming but, after masterminding this milestone victory, Scotland ’s manager is determined not to let it go down in history as some sort of freakish high water mark.
It’s almost 40 years since goals from Maurice Johnston and Kenny Dalglish last sank the Spaniards on a rainy night under the Hampden floodlights and Clarke was reminded of that glory night more times than he cared to remember throughout the build-up to this modern-day rematch. Which is why he threw down a gauntlet to his squad as they made the short trip to the National Stadium from a plush city centre hotel ahead of kick-off on Tuesday night. Clarke said: Hopefully it isn’t another 39 years before we are speaking about it again.
“What I said to the lads before the game was that the media wanted to speak about the game against Spain in 1984 before this game against Spain. So that tells you that in 39 years’ time, when you are all the same age as me and have kids and grandkids, that people could still speak about you. I am hoping that is going to be surpassed by other big results against big nations.”
Asked if it’s his aim to create a great deal more magical memories, he said: “We are trying to do that. We are not so arrogant or so over confident that we think it is going to happen all the time because you need to work very hard to get a result like that.”
And yet hard work is exactly what Clarke and this group are all about. He has assembled a squad which is prepared to sweat blood for the benefit of the national cause as was exemplified so perfectly against Group A’s top seeds. A result for the ages which leaves Clarke’s team sitting top of the section after two games – three points clear of the Spaniards and five clear of Norway in the race towards a place at the Euros in Germany next summer.
But this felt like more than just another Scotland win under Clarke. This one felt like a game changer. He went on: “It’s important that when teams come here they understand they are going to get a difficult game whether they are a pot five team or a pot one team.
“We have tried to do that consistently over the time. It didn’t happen at the start. Remember, Belgium and Russia both came here and put us in our place.
“We’re mindful of the fact that we’re improving but we’re also mindful of the fact that we’re not the finished article. We’re not going to get carried away, we’re going to stay calm and focused. The end goal is Germany 2024.”
When Clarke first came into this role for those beatings from the Belgians and the Russians, he talked of a necessity to build a team which is both equipped and experienced enough to mix it with the best countries on the planet.
Four years on, it does seem as if his vision is coming together. He said: “This is what we are trying to do – we are trying to integrate the young ones. I brought Nathan Patterson off the bench, I brought Lewis Ferguson off the bench. You are bringing in players who are gaining caps.
“But don’t forget Grant Hanley is approaching 50 caps. I’ve handed out a 50 cap medal to Callum McGregor. John McGinn and Andy Robertson have over 50.
“If you look at the squads, ours had more international caps than the Spanish squad. And experience at this level is important. I spoke about it way back at the very beginning.
“Those players on the pitch with all the caps are helping the younger ones. It is great to see. Ryan Porteous was good last night. But beside him Grant was keeping him in check and pushing him around and moving him around. You can’t really single out anyone. I think everyone played their part.”
As, for that matter, did the manager and his coaching staff. In fact, Clarke was the picture of calmness when the half-time whistle sounded amidst scenes of heart-pumping chaos on Tuesday night. He and his right-hand men had work to do.
He said: “Normally you go in and everyone has their bits to say. I just let them chatter away amongst themselves for five minutes. Calm it down, take a breather.
“I touched on the mental aspect of the game. John Carver came in with a couple of tactical tweaks, tactical points. And Austin MacPhee put in a set-play point. They caused us a couple of problems with an early set-play when Rodri got across the front. You are just trying to fix the little things that are not quite right.
“But we also put across a message of calm. Be calm, start the second half the way you started the first half, make sure you don’t just camp on the edge of the 18-yard box because if you do that you will concede eventually. Thankfully, we got the second goal which made it a reasonably comfortable second half.”
Clarke’s new long-term contract might be safely signed and sealed but it’s worth remembering here that no such formal commitments have been made to Carver, MacPhee and Steven Naismith – which does feel like something of a risky oversight from the top brass at the SFA.
The manager added: “Everyone contributes. Austin made a contribution, Steven is invaluable to me because he has got the ear of the dressing room. He is closer to them, he is a younger coach. All the backroom staff play their part.
“When we were in that dressing room at the end of the game, everyone was together. It feels
as though everyone wants to help. All the players want to help the players be as good as they can be.
“The Scottish FA have gone out of their way and put us in a lovely hotel in Glasgow. The players feel a little bit better, they just feel good about themselves. They train on a lovely pitch at Lesser Hampden. But, as I say, six points gets you nowhere.”
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