If you’re not even remotely excited by what’s going on with Steve Clarke’s Scotland right now then, with the best will in the world, there’s probably something wrong with you.
Yes, these constant international breaks are becoming increasingly irritating for those who prefer their football wrapped up in club colours and, true, they are robbing the domestic game of the chance to build any serious momentum. No sooner are things hotting up back on the home front than Clarke calls a halt to it all by summoning his troops together and setting off on another Nations League double header.
And, in terms of results, there’s been very little joy to be found on this whistle stop tour of the top level of the European game. Until now. Throughout it all and from the very outset, Clarke insisted his players will grow in stature now they have been thrown into the big boys’ playground and told to fend for themselves. And, although that sounded like wishful thinking at first, he has proven to be as good as his word.
Let’s be in no doubt here either. When Scotland slinked away from the Euros in the summer this was a manager on the brink. So timid and feeble were their efforts in Germany that the connection they had established with the nation in general had been horribly fractured.
And, quite correctly, Clarke was the man carrying the can for this enforced period of unwanted navel gazing. It was the man in charge who copped the blame for keeping the handbrake on his players throughout a tournament which rewarded those who were prepared to go out there, take a risk and live a little.
Had Clarke continued with this caution-at-all-costs approach then the country’s patience with him might have snapped long before he claimed the scalp of the Croatians at Hampden on Friday night to claim a first victory in Group A1. But, even though he did not react kindly to the criticism which was hurled in his direction after Scotland’s big summer flop, he was smart enough not to disregard it. He may not have liked it. But he listened.
And, as a consequence, the Scotland side we have seen ever since, has had a very different look to it, even if the initial run of results remained very much the same. It began with a last minute defeat at home to Poland, continued with another late beating in Lisbon and the miserable run was extended last month in Zagreb with another 2-1 loss.
But, in each of these games, Clarke’s side displayed a bolder, more front footed and aggressive approach. Had they gone down fighting like this on the big stage at the European Championships then, even if the end result was the same, the reaction to their early homecoming would have been nowhere near as hostile and bad-tempered as it was.
It felt all the while as if something was changing in front of our eyes, even though the results remained constantly negative and many of the faces in his side remained familiar. Friday night’s result had been in the pipeline for a while and, in particular, on the back of the 0-0 draw at home to Portugal which allowed Clarke to get a first group point on the board.
Now, having taken none from the first nine available to him, Clarke could end the campaign with seven from his final three games if he can keep this momentum up here in Warsaw tonight. Not only that would speak volumes for the progress that has been made over these last few months but it just might be enough to finish in runners up spot and proceed into the quarter finals of this competition as one of the top eight teams from all across the continent.
More crucially, if this Houdini act can be pulled off against the Poles while Portugal take care of business against Croatia, then Scotland could go into the pots for the World Cup qualifiers next month among the top ranked seeds. And that would represent a remarkable climax to the campaign given that, a few weeks ago, Clarke looked more than likely to be relegated from League A and marooned in pot three for the big one.
Yes of course, it will require some good fortune as well as a three goal swing in terms of the goal difference currently separating Scotland and the Croats in the final act. But anyone who believes it’s impossible simply has not been paying attention.
Where were they on Friday night, for example, when Ben Doak was running rings around one of the most expensive defenders in the history of the global game? Manchester City splashed out £77m to sign Josko Gvardiol a year or so ago but that’s twice in the space of a few short weeks that Doak has made him look like he’s still learning his trade.
Granted, perhaps Gvardiol was caught by surprise when the youngster lined up against him in Zagreb last month. When the winger went by him in a blur for the first time that night he couldn’t quite seem to recover from the shock of it. So when he arrived at Hampden on Friday night, Gvardiol looked very much like a man determined not to make the same mistake twice.
For the opening 15 minutes or so he went out of his way to physically bully and intimidate a teenager half of his size. And it worked.
Or at least it did until the 18 minute mark, when Doak gave him the slip for the first time like a speedy little street urchin and Gvardoil was rocked back onto his heels all over again. By the end, Doak was almost toying with him down Scotland’s right flank. He was almost telling the defender how he was going to get past him before doing exactly that. And there was absolutely nothing Gvardiol could do to stop him.
In midfield, meanwhile, Billy Gilmour was dominating proceedings even though Luka Modric was operating in that same area of the pitch. Now just look at those two and tell me there’s nothing worth getting excited about in a dark blue shirt.
That’s before taking John McGinn, Andy Robertson and Scott McTominay into account – while Clarke waits for the likes of Kieran Tierney, Lewis Ferguson, Nathan Patterson and Aaron Hickey to get back to fitness. And, for that matter, before he’s chosen the right moment to fast-track Lennon Miller into the squad, where the Motherwell youngster is likely to spend his time for the next decade or so.
So, yes, now does feel like exactly the right time to start believing in Clarke and his squad all over again. A win here in Warsaw tonight might go a long way to winning over those who still need to be convinced.