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No theatre or Scotland curveballs from loyal ClarkeImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Ross Stewart is recalled to the Scotland squad, but Oli McBurnie misses outByTom English
A little after midday on Tuesday, the Scotland head coach power-walked into the Hampden auditorium in the manner of a wrestler heading for the ring; Stone Cold Steve Clarke was in the building.
Clarke threw his World Cup squad sheet on the table and cupped his ears to the assembled media. “What are you saying to it?” he demanded.
Then, with a flourish, he put his hands to his eyes as if looking through binoculars. “America, here we come,” he cried. “Yeah, baby!”
If only. Clarke’s aversion to theatre meant the first Scotland World Cup squad announcement in nearly 30 years was about as humdrum as could be, no fanfare from the manager, nothing to separate it from any other squad announcement.
On social media, the Scottish Football Association did its best to bring an element of drama to it, but Clarke was never going to play along with that.
A friendly game against, er, whoever, or a momentous day for the Scottish national team and the chosen ones bound for the States – same difference. It’s his way. Consistency, normality, an unchanging vibe.
Clarke on naming Stewart in World Cup squad
Beforehand, we knew most things, pretty much. We knew because Clarke stated a few weeks ago that the squad was more or less set in his head already.
He values loyalty like he appreciates his next breath, so while others made the case for Oli McBurnie, Oliver Burke, Kieron Bowie, Stephen Welsh and others, Clarke would barely have noticed.
You got the sense that McBurnie could have scored a hat-trick in every game in the last two months of the season and Clarke would have been unmoved. Maybe he doesn’t fancy him as a footballer, maybe he doesn’t fancy him as a human being. Whatever.
We weren’t expecting fireworks, but there was, at least, a story or two. Findlay Curtis, the bit-part and underappreciated 19-year-old from Rangers, is included after a productive loan spell at Kilmarnock. In taking a few steps down the Premiership table, Curtis propelled himself forward into a promised land.
Ross Stewart, a striker injury-plagued and largely ignored in the Clarke era, was selected on the back of stellar form for his club, Southampton. Stewart’s goals and power and all-round work-rate is obvious. Sadly, his injury profile has been just as prevalent.
Clarke had him in a squad previously – in the summer of 2022 – but there’s a long list of strikers who have appeared in Scotland squads since Stewart was around – not just the stalwarts of Che Adams, Lyndon Dykes and Lawrence Shankland, or the more recent arrivals George Hirst, Tommy Conway and Bowie, but also James Wilson, Kevin Nisbet and Jacob Brown.
The manager remembers Stewart well as a player and as a personality. Clarke places great store in upbeat characters.
It’s why Liam Kelly is the third goalkeeper. He probably won’t see any minutes, but he’ll be good around the place; selfless and positive.
After missing out on so many club games because of a body that broke down too often, Stewart gets his reward for resilience. He only has two caps and, relatively speaking, has come from nowhere these past months. He’s been outstanding.
Up front, there is no McBurnie despite his terrific season with Hull City. McBurnie might be playing Premier League football next season – it’s Hull versus Stewart’s Southampton in the play-off final – but he won’t be anywhere near a Scotland squad while Clarke is in charge.
McBurnie has been one of the best strikers in the Championship this season, but Clarke was never having him. A personality thing, most likely. On pure footballing merit he deserves to be ahead of Dykes.
The 29-year-old has scored 18 goals in 41 games this season. Dykes has six in 51. If you include Dykes’ past three seasons – 140 games – he has scored only one more goal than McBurnie has claimed this term, a campaign that was impacted significantly by injury.
Clarke on adding Killie winger to his World Cup squad
Bowie can consider himself deeply unfortunate, too. His move to Hellas Verona in Serie A has been a personal success, even if his club got relegated.
Recently, he has scored against runaway champions Inter Milan, Juventus (who finished sixth) and Bologna (who finished eighth, fully 34 points ahead of Bowie’s strugglers). Since early March, Verona have scored five goals in Serie A and Bowie has got four of them.
Dykes and Hirst are in because they’re usually in, because Clarke knows them and trusts them and is happy to look beyond their lack of goal threat while focusing on other attributes – work-rate, experience, familiarity with the way Clarke works.
There’s no Lennon Miller, which was only a minor surprise given the 19-year-old midfielder was in the last squad for the friendlies against Japan and Ivory Coast but didn’t see even a minute of action.
No curveballs, but then there was never going to be. Those hoping Burke’s raw pace or Calvin Miller’s ability to beat a player could put them into contention didn’t reckon with Clarke’s way of doing things.
Clarke is short of width and pace – an age-old problem. He’s resisted whatever urge he may have had in calling up James Forrest. Conway would have been considered a wide player, but injury has claimed him.
Ben Gannon-Doak is the one genuine speedster – Curtis is the only other winger – and a heavy burden rests on his young shoulders.
Gannon-Doak got injured early on the famous night against Denmark in November – not long after he dinked in the cross for Scott McTominay’s overhead kick – and has been seen only fleetingly since then.
In six months, he’s had three minutes for Bournemouth against Manchester United on 20 March, 12 minutes against Newcastle United on 18 April and four minutes against Crystal Palace on 3 May.
In his own way, he’s as important to Scotland as any of the established stars. Clarke, and the nation as a whole, will be watching and praying he’s fit and well come Haiti.
For the 26, the easy bit is now complete, with the hardest bit yet to come. They’re not going to America just for the experience, they’re travelling, as Clarke kept stating, to make history as the first Scotland team to make it out of a group in a major championship.
Time is passing quickly. Before we know it, they’ll be in the midst of it.
Image source, Getty ImagesKieron Bowie and Lennon Miller miss out despite playing in Serie A
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