Scotland manager Steve Clarke has been slammed for storming out of his post-match interview following defeat to Brazil.
The Tartan Army’s future at the World Cup is now hanging by a thread after a 3-0 thrashing on Wednesday night.
5
Clarke’s side knew that just a point would secure their spot in the knockout stages of the tournament for the first time ever.
And even a low-scoring defeat to Brazil would likely have been enough to historically claim a place in the round of 32.
But after gifting Vinicius Junior an early opener, they went on to lose by three to Carlo Ancelotti’s South American giants.
Opta now believe Scotland have less than a 50 per cent chance of going through as one of the eight best third-placed finishers.
As for Clarke, he admitted that he thinks his side are going home and the Scotland boss was furious after the game.
He stormed out of his post-match interview – and that’s something that has left eSPORTY’s Scotland correspondent Shebahn Aherne raging.
‘Grow up’
Aherne slammed Clarke, who signed a new four-year deal as Scotland manager before the World Cup, in a damning assessment, ranting on eSPORTY Breakfast: “It’s not good enough.
“Who do you think you are?! Do you think you’re Pep [Guardiola]? Because you’re not.
“We’ve not been at a World Cup since 1998 and it’s incredible that we’re there, and that’s down to Clarke, so I get that he’s done his bit.
“But last week it [Clarke walking out] happened after Morocco to someone [a reporter] I’ve known for a very long time… you storm off from someone like that when they’ve got their job to do.
5
“And then six days later, you do the same thing again… you have to do this, you have to front up to it as a lot of people have spent a lot of money being here and following this team, representing Scotland.
“You’re our guy, our gaffer, and you come out and can’t even suit up for a moment and front up to it. That really bothers me.”
Aherne continued: “We’ve not been able to speak to Clarke once on this trip and I thought we have had the opportunity.
“We’re all here to do a job and I get he’s done his bit in getting us here, but at the end of the day, when the full-time whistle blows, you’ve just got to get on with it.
“So, I’m really disappointed in that, because I love him, he has given up the opportunity to be here, to be at the Euros.
“But don’t speak to people like that, don’t behave like that. Just grow up.”
5
Stop walking away
Speaking on eSPORTY’s Early Breakfast, Aherne also commented further on Clarke signing a new long-term contract.
She said: “It’s too early [to have conversations about it]. He signed it for another four years with us.”
“I love him, he’s taken us to tournaments…but I do look at our players and we’ve got a good team there,” Aherne then added.
“But I’m disappointed with his behaviour. There’s only so many times you can watch your manager walk out of interviews.
“Stop walking away. What about the people who’ve spent £10,000 to be there? Don’t they want to know your thoughts on why you did things that way?
“It’s your job, get on with it. Get your big boy pants on, paint your face on…the fact we still have a chance of going through, but him walking away again, that’s so frustrating.”
5
Bad to worse
Despite Clarke admitting his Scotland side are probably heading home, they do still have a chance.
But they’re going to need things to go their way…
The Tartan Army need at least four teams who also finish third in their group to end the group stages with a worse record.
So, they’ll need four nations to finish with fewer than three points or with three points but with a worse goal difference.
That process got off to the worst possible start as South Africa claimed an unlikely 1-0 win over South Korea, bolting the African side into second place in Group A and putting the Asian nation third, with three points but a superior goal difference to Scotland.
If a country has the same points and the same goal difference as Scotland, it then goes down to goals scored, but John McGinn’s goal against Haiti is the only one they netted all tournament.
5
And with four more days full of fixtures still to be played, they’re going to need a small miracle to not miss out.
As things stand, Sweden, Croatia, Algeria, Paraguay, Cape Verde, Belgium, DR Congo, Ecuador and Senegal are just some of the teams that can have an impact on whether the Scots will be eliminated.
Not all against Clarke
Despite the backlash towards Clarke, former Scotland international Kevin Gallacher jumped to the defence of the manager.
Gallacher told eSPORTY: “I’m all for Steve Clarke. I know him, he was my coach at Newcastle, he was up and coming.
“He’s got his own philosophies and speaking to some of the players, they all understand what he’s about.
“For me, I don’t know why people would think he’s not the right man for the job. He’s had a World Cup, two Euros, sublime, incredible, and he becomes the best Scottish manager of all time.”
World Cup WhatsApp
Don’t miss an update from eSPORTY in our dedicated World Cup WhatsApp channel.
Search for ‘eSPORTY World Cup’ in your ‘Updates’ tab on WhatsApp and we’ll drop the proper, unfiltered football chat straight to your lock screen—no fluff, just pure eSPORTY energy.
It’s where you’ll find out all the new rules to watch out for, England and Scotland reaction and big match player ratings.
Plus there will be loads of debates on the biggest talking points as Haaland, Mbappe, Kane and the biggest names in football descend on America, Canada and Mexico.
