Kris Commons has questioned why Scotland look a shadow of the side they were before losing Kieran Tierney to injury.
And the former Celtic star can’t understand why Steve Clarke is rigidly sticking with the formation devised to get both Tierney and Andy Robertson in the team when that’s not an issue right now.
Clarke arguably oversaw the nadir of his reign at the weekend as Scotland were battered 3-0 by Ireland in Dublin.
Their opposition hadn’t won in 12 Nations League games and had last won a competitive game at home against Gibraltar in 2019.
But they made Scotland look like the side in the doldrums and could have won by more.
Commons reckons Clarke got just about everything wrong, but most worrying was how long he took to change things when it was clear the initial game plan had to go out the window long before it was ditched.
He wrote in his Daily Mail column: “You could see it coming. Not, perhaps, in the build-up to the match but certainly in the early exchanges as it took shape.
“Everything about Scotland in Dublin was flawed from the off. From the formation to the strategy to the attitude, they were heading for a grim defeat even before Alan Browne put the Irish in front.
“The really troubling thing is that nothing was done by anyone to change the outcome. Did we honestly expect that by plugging away and being second-best all over the park throughout 90 minutes that we'd somehow pull it out of the fire?
“We stuck with Plan A when the outcome of that was inevitable. I don't even begin to understand that.
“The approach was just all wrong. When you are playing an Irish team that's a wounded animal, you have to expect them to come at you from the first whistle to try and give their crowd something to cheer about.
“Your task is to flip that to your advantage. Don't set up with a 5-2-2-1, invite the pressure and try to get through the first 15 minutes.
“From back to front, you have got the better players. So take the game to them. Get on the front foot, spin in behind them and play in tight areas. Don't be sitting ducks, ready to be beaten by a team that's clearly under pressure.
"The first goal was shambolic, dire defending initially and not alert to the second ball. It set the tone in terms of being easy to beat.
“You just knew it was coming. In any game, right from the start, you have to do everything properly.
“Play two-touch, don't get caught on the ball, don't give it away cheaply. Your first tackle, how you run, how vocal you are... it all counts. Make sure your opponent knows you are up for the game.
“There was none of that. We went out there with shoulders and heads down. They didn't even seem to bother about Ireland scoring. There was no fight. They looked like a boxer that had shed so much weight that they were lacking that spark and motivation.
"The set-pieces - in both boxes - were atrocious. Where was the variety of corners and free-kicks? Where was the plan to stop Shane Duffy winning every first ball?
“Listen, we know it's now the end of a long, hard season and that not everyone is at their best.
“But when you put that strip on for your country, that's the highest honour you can get. The fundamentals should just come naturally.
“Kieran Tierney has been a huge loss but he's still only one player. His absence alone can't explain the loss of three goals against Ireland.
“When I played I always felt that if you got beaten by a good side who were absolutely on it, you could just about accept it if you gave absolutely everything.
“But you can never accept being outrun, out-tackled and out-fought. Not only did Scotland lose. They went down with a whimper. It was completely spineless and toothless.
“That's why so many of the Tartan Army booed the team off.
“I can imagine that many of them will also have drowned their sorrows questioning why Steve Clarke is so inflexible with his set-up both before and during games. The manager is extremely rigid with his shape and that is becoming a flaw.
“When things are going badly, there's no desire to change something to affect the outcome of the game. When you keep doing the same thing, you tend to get the same result.
“You've got to be tactically flexible. But Scotland right now are rigid and predictable. The players might change but the system stays the same.
“When any opponent knows for certain how you are going to set up, it's easy for them to implement their style on you.
“We know he has a headache trying to fit Andy Robertson and Tierney into the same team. His solution is a back five but why has that remained the case when Tierney has been out injured?
“But when you look at the others playing in that system, there's no consistency.
“Scott McKenna, Liam Cooper, Tierney, Grant Hanley, Jack Hendry, Scott McTominay and John Souttar have all been selected recently. We're no closer to knowing who the manager prefers.
“Yes, you need a squad when there's such a heavy schedule but you also need to know your best team and I'm not sure Clarke knows that after three years in the job.”
