Steve Clarke angered by lacklustre Scotland despite World Cup qualifying win over Belarus
It’s not every day that Scotland are booed after winning a game, something that would automatically put them two games into the World Cup, but that’s the level of expectation that Clarke’s side have set.
Although the Scots didn’t turn the lights out on offense, they also allowed Belarus to get comfortable for most of the game. The fact that they shot 10 more shots than Scotland is a big concern.
“The coach came in at halftime but he was very angry at us,” defenseman Scott McKenna said.
“We couldn’t win the first balls, we couldn’t win the second balls either. Throughout the 90 minutes, Belarus probably looked more dangerous than us.”
Despite the anger, self-reflection and pain, Scotland remains in a strong position. An away game in Athens awaits against a Greece team that can no longer catch them, followed by a Hampden clash against Denmark next month.
Everyone speaking from the Scotland camp has acknowledged that what they produced last week will not get the job done, but there is a belief that they are well on their way to finding a solution. Somehow.
“We’ve had some great moments and some pretty disappointing ones,” said Clarke. “We are pretty resilient, we can bounce back from a bad situation.
“I trust this group of players, we will be ready in critical moments.”
