Alan McInally: I Don't Think Clarke Should Lose His Job Because Of The Euros
Former Scotland international Alan McInally has opened up on Steve Clarke’s miserable Euro 2024 campaign in an exclusive chat with Gambling.com.
Scotland, who were 7/5 with betting sites to finish bottom of Group A, crashed out after taking just one point from a possible nine against Germany, Switzerland and Hungary.
Clarke’s team took a tournament-low 17 shots across their three matches - the next lowest figure was three different teams with 26.
Scotland were particularly meek in the must-win game against Hungary and McInally admits he was disappointed with the approach.
Scotland Didn't Do Enough
“I’m really disappointed and a bit deflated,” he said. “We went into the Germany game with huge optimism and got well beaten.
“I think Steve Clarke held his hands up and said he didn’t get it right with the players he chose.
“However, by playing Billy Gilmour in the middle of the park and pushing [John] McGinn and [Scott] McTominay further up to try and cause a few problems against Switzerland, I think he got it right as we got a response from the team.
“Although, against Hungary we had the opportunity and we didn’t take it, and that’s probably the biggest thing that the Tartan Army are disappointed with.”
Clarke is under contract until 2026 but there has been considerable debate over his future over the last few days.
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Should Clarke Stay Or Should He Go?
McInally, who won eight caps for his country, believes Clarke has earned the right to stay for the 2026 World Cup qualification campaign.
“We hadn’t qualified for anything for over 20 years until Steve Clarke came in,” he said. “He got the job and qualified for two Euros in a row.
“To put that achievement into perspective, the likes of Billy Bremner, Joe Jordan, Graeme Souness, Alan McInally and Kenny Dalglish couldn’t get us to qualify for the next round as players!
“I think he (Clarke) should get the opportunity to call on this group of players to qualify for the World Cup and we’ve also got the Nations League starting in September where we’ve got Poland, Portugal and Croatia.
“At the end of the day, I don’t think Steve Clarke should lose his job because of the Euros. We didn’t perform as well as he would have liked us to.”
Moyes In The Frame To Succeed Clarke
If Clarke is dismissed by the Scottish FA, David Moyes is the 3/4 favourite to take the job with betting apps.
But while McInally praised Moyes’ achievements as a manager, he believes he will have to wait for an opportunity to lead his country.
“Well he’s done nearly 1,000 league games as a manager, hasn’t he? He came back to West Ham when nobody wanted him, went and won a European cup and then they hound him out the door again.
“I think his credentials are very good but the position isn’t available right now.
“I think what Steve Clarke has done and is continuing to do is a good job. I want a Scottish manager as the manager of Scotland and maybe that brings the pool down a bit.
“If Steve (Clarke) does decide he's had enough due to the criticism he’s facing then maybe David (Moyes) would certainly be one of the main candidates for the job.
“I just don’t know whether David Moyes sees himself still in club management and the Scotland job is still in the distance for him. If I was to put on a cheeky bet I’d put on a fiver he will eventually be the Scotland manager.”
McCleish And Strachan Are Other Scottish Options
Aside from Moyes, McInally does not think there are any impressive Scottish managers waiting in the wings to take charge.
“I don’t think we have anyone with the credentials that can take on the job that Steve’s done,” he said.
“I just don’t see anybody that would fit the bill. I suppose you talk about Alex McLeish and Gordon Strachan but I think their time has come and gone and don’t see themselves taking a step back unless it’s in an upstairs role like a Director role.
“I’m happy with Steve Clarke to remain as manager. I think defensively, he’s made us sounder and the midfield is relatively stronger. Up top, we don’t have players who can score for fun, we rely on midfield players because that’s just the pool of players we’ve got.
“We are fortunate we have a huge group of people called the Tartan Army that are nothing but a success and are loved all around Europe and I’m delighted they all behaved themselves and had a party, even though the Scotland team didn’t perform for us.”
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