A second disastrous major finals experience finishes with many unanswered questions
The only team that could experience being packed onto an early aircraft home following the most recent European Championship goal was Scotland.O, Caledonia, and that’s a lament rather than a zero, but both are suitable.
It says it all: there were zero shot attempts in the first halves of the critical games against Hungary and Germany.Twenty teams were still awaiting their last group match as of Sunday night, and it was already certain that no team would go home having made less efforts on goal (17) and on target (3) than Scotland.
Since records have been kept, the statistic is the joint lowest since the Italian European Championships in 1980. This dubious title is shared by Northern Ireland, who at least made the most of their 20 total shots, scoring twice in the middle group encounter against Ukraine (both goals credited to their own players). It meant that they had advanced to the round of 16, something that Scotland has yet to accomplish.
The final major final match Scotland won was against Switzerland, thanks to Ally McCoist’s game-winning goal. That continues to be the final goal a striker for Scotland has scored at this level. Given that Scots have needed to rely on this goal for a very long time, it’s fortunate that it was so exciting.
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Although it’s important to keep in mind that the current lamentations and gnashing of teeth are better days than not qualifying at all, McCoist’s appearance in the commentary gantries in Germany has served as a sobering reminder of better times. Even when the balls are put away, Steve Clarke still deserves respect.
Particularly moving is the photo of a groundskeeper at Scotland’s headquarters in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on Monday morning, patiently waiting for players to arrive for training.This piece of information was given by Scotland assistant manager John Carver on Friday in an attempt to explain why his team wasn’t prepared to return home.
The Englishman who had been assigned to oversee their pitch had deliberately chosen not to say farewell when he left on Friday. As talk shifted to an appointment for the knockout stage, he promised to meet them again the next week. If only.
After the dramatic 1-0 loss to Hungary, the players took a bus back to their base in the Bavarian highlands, arriving just after 3 a.m. on Monday. In Stuttgart’s beer halls and elsewhere, the inquest was already under way. the enormous migration preceding the great inquisition.
The main focus will be on Clarke’s alleged caution in light of a significant complaint about his infrequent use of the Lawrence Shankland. The Hearts striker was substituted in the last game after 76 minutes, having made limited outings in the first two games.Due to the horrible occurrence involving Barnabas Vargas, a striker for Hungary, Shankland was given an additional ten minutes on the pitch. By now, it was all getting very desperate, with goalmouth scrambles seemingly the most likely way to end in a goal. Maybe ripe conditions for Shankland.But for him, the ball never dropped.
A Flourish tableThe notion that the outcome of any game would have been different if he had started at the beginning or, in fact, had entered at halftime is for the birds. If Clarke hadn’t also intended to introduce an entirely new method of play, Shankland would have suffered from the same lack of playing time as Che Adams.
Although Clarke had made it clear that he intended to use more of his resources this time, only six outfield players—as opposed to four last time out—saw action. Remember Greg Taylor, who did not play in either the 2020 or 2024 European Championships. When will he next get the opportunity to break through as a major tournament duck?
Scotland’s early, indistinguishable withdrawal from the competition and its ranking as the second-oldest team (after Germany) at 28.3 years old may have anything to do with each other. Before the top group Nations League assignments in early Autumn, Clarke has already acknowledged the need for a change of scenery, which may be the last thing anyone wants to consider right now. It will be the first match in just over 70 days, against Poland. In light of the fact that Clarke is about to launch a bid to qualify for the upcoming World Cup, it is just and appropriate to extend him some mercy.
As much as the manager will hold himself accountable for the lacklustre performances, the events that hurt Scotland’s chances occurred outside of the stadiums in Munich, Cologne, and Stuttgart, where the country’s weaknesses, including its lack of depth, were clearly visible to all.
Instead, Aaron Hickey’s unfortunate incident earlier this year on a Brentford FC training pitch in Osterley is where their problems began. The first-choice right wing-back was ruled out of Euro 2024 due to a hamstring rupture. In a similar vein, any evaluation of Scotland’s performances had to take into account the last moments of an Everton vs. Chelsea match in April, when the full-back, who serves as Hickey’s deputy, hurt his hamstring after substituting during a 6-0 rout at Stamford Bridge.
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Not that Clarke was going there quite yet. Asked on Sunday evening if Scotland’s ambitions were compromised before a ball had been kicked at Euro 2024, he said he “never speaks about injuries, it’s my default (position)”. He and his staff will contemplate this and other factors over the coming weeks, he conceded, but it was all too raw and painful right now. Clarke is hurting, too, of course. He could represent the most significant casualty of all in this latest ill-fated major finals adventure. A proud man, he may conclude he has taken Scotland as far as he can.
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