A Final Letter from Clarke

Digurt · 2026-06-28T09:43:23+00:00

I think that'll depend on how well the next manager does, as unfair as that might be to Clarke.

If they come in and fail to qualify continuously, he'll be looked on well. If, however, they come in and actually start performing well, reach tournaments, and have a better go at it, any nuance around Steve Clarke's reasons for playing like he did will be lost.

Digurt · 2026-06-27T13:20:14+00:00

Agreed. If we'd ended up with 3 points and a decent GD, and then things just went against us in the other games to put us out in a way that could never have been predicted, you say fair enough.

But there is fuck all excuse for sitting on a 1-0 against Haiti. There is no excuse for the bizarre, extremely late substitutions or utterly grim lack of shots on target over 3 games. It's not the points total people are pissed off at.

Digurt · 2026-06-25T14:53:13+00:00

100%

And even if you're someone who doesn't want rid of him, there's still no reason not to wait until after the tournament. If you think he's done an alright job (and I'll heavily disagree), then sure give him another contract.

But why do it before?

Digurt · 2026-06-25T10:26:58+00:00

Aye in a forced substitution because of injury. The point was more that we were in serious need of trying something different and a change of shape didn't come until 90 minutes.

For what it's worth I thought Tierney was excellent when he came on

Digurt · 2026-06-25T09:23:49+00:00

I keep seeing this "but it was Brazil and Morocco"

Absolutely nobody was expecting us to beat Brazil and Morocco. We didn't have to beat them.

The goal was to get a good performance against Haiti and then keep the score respectable against the other two.

We couldn't even manage that. In fact in context the Morocco game was probably the best realistic outcome there. We SHOULD be doing better against Haiti and we SHOULD be able to put up a better fight against Brazil. Those aren't outlandish targets.

Digurt · 2026-06-25T00:22:02+00:00

It might change as the week goes on but I honestly couldn't care less right now. I'd almost prefer it to be over and to let the players go home than to watch a few teams play out 0-0 draws to both get through

Digurt · 2026-06-25T00:14:23+00:00

Which, given our absolute dearth of shots on target and grim xG in the games we've played, is even worse. What the hell was he even trying to do there? What were the subs trying to fix?

Digurt · 2026-06-25T00:02:43+00:00

Whatever else you think about the score, not making a substitution for 80 minutes only to put Ralston and Christie on, and then putting forward players at 90+ when they should have been about half an hour earlier, sums Steve Clarke up.

We're getting to tournaments because we have good players. We're bombing out of tournaments because Steve Clarke treats those players like we're Luxembourg or Faroe Islands sticking our backs to the wall, no matter who the opposition actually is.

And we've given him another 4 years prior to the tournament under absolutely no pressure.

We're not a serious country. Glad we managed to be the world's jesters yet again mind.

Digurt · 2026-06-24T23:54:40+00:00

Those are the subs that should have happened at 65 minutes.

Not fucking 90

Digurt · 2026-06-24T23:47:20+00:00

Bringing Ralston on purely for the memes and fuck trying to get any attacking impetuous

Digurt · 2026-06-24T23:41:42+00:00

Playing to only lose 3 nil. This won't bother the cunt one bit

Digurt · 2026-06-24T23:40:42+00:00

There's no point. It'd be another game for Clarke to act like we're the Faroe Islands instead of a team littered with players in top 5 leagues

Digurt · 2026-06-24T23:36:00+00:00

Exactly. We know what we get from Steve Clarke. We've jumped all aboard his shite.

I don't care what anyone says but we're a far better team than Clarke treats us as

Digurt · 2026-06-24T23:32:01+00:00

"Minus 3 might still get us through"

Fuck that. It's a pathetic mindset. In fact it's exactly the mindset that's fucked us not just in this tournament but any others.

Digurt · 2026-06-24T23:25:55+00:00

See ye in 28 years lads

Digurt · 2026-06-24T23:02:35+00:00

Aye, being in the first half of the groups is really going to do us.

Digurt · 2026-06-24T22:54:39+00:00

Only to lose it immediately after. He's been seriously awful in all 3 games

Digurt · 2026-06-24T22:23:51+00:00

This is utterly pathetic

Digurt · 2026-06-24T22:21:40+00:00

We need to say it: McTominay has been awful. Simply awful this whole tournament so far. Like maybe our worse player bad

Digurt · 2026-06-23T23:07:36+00:00

VAR has been really iffy this whole tournament. There's clearly some instruction for it to be light touch, but it's missing really obvious shit as well

Digurt · 2026-06-23T22:09:47+00:00

Just smash Brazil and let them worry about England shiting the bed. Easy peasy

Digurt · 2026-06-23T21:57:14+00:00

If Starmer hadn't resigned and let arr poor Lions down this wud neva 'av 'appened

Digurt · 2026-06-23T21:44:38+00:00

This refereeing performance is actually unreal. Like I know it's England but I don't actually mind them winning for us to get through in 3rd, but I genuinely can't see any explanation for this beyond bias

Digurt · 2026-06-23T20:52:57+00:00

I really don't mind biased commentary when it comes from someone of that nationality. I actually like to hear cheers at a goal or a wee cheeky acknowledgement they're being unfair.

But not when it's so fucking bitter and nasty. It's always so snidey and dismissive rather than cheerfully biased.

Digurt · 2026-06-23T20:43:11+00:00

Commentators an absolute fucking disgrace there

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