On the banks of the River Mersey at Bramley-Moore Dock, Steve Clarke is less than three months out from a World Cup yet finds himself having to steer Scotland’s ship through choppy waters.
The surroundings of Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium, a £750million state-of-the-art creation, certainly offer a stunning backdrop for Scotland to continue their voyage towards America in the summer.
Yet, despite the fact Scotland are heading back to the greatest show in football for the first time in 28 years, there is a growing undercurrent of unease among the Tartan Army.
Dismayed at the nature of the performance in a 1-0 friendly defeat to Japan at Hampden on Saturday, the booing at full-time certainly wasn’t widespread or vitriolic by any means.
But it was there. It was audible and unavoidable, to the point that Clarke knew he would be asked about it in his post-match media conference.
The Scotland manager expressed his surprise and disappointment that a section of the crowd chose to react that way, stating it is simply ‘the modern way’.
Steve Clarke was in relaxed mood ahead of Scotland’s game against Ivory Coast in Liverpool
There is nuance to this debate. It does, without question, feel incongruous for a Scotland team to be booed off the pitch, in their very next match, just four months after beating Denmark to qualify for a World Cup.
Clarke has not failed Scotland. He made the nation relevant once again on the international stage, qualifying for three major finals from a possible four.
Given that he stands alone in reaching three tournaments, that record alone positions him as one of Scotland’s greatest ever managers.
Clarke inherited a group of players scarred by years of failure and under-achievement. He flipped that narrative and led Scotland out of the international wilderness.
But, rightly or wrongly, there is a feeling among supporters that reaching tournaments could well be his ceiling, that qualification should not be the limit of Scotland’s ambition.
It is a view not without justification. At its core, football is about emotion. It is theatre. Fans want their team to show a sense of ambition and have a go.
This is where Scotland’s record in major tournaments under Clarke leaves a lot to be desired. Once they get out on to the dancefloor at a major finals, they freeze and trip over their own feet.
Two years ago, they lost 1-0 to Northern Ireland in a turgid friendly at Hampden and were booed off the pitch. The parallels with last weekend were hard to ignore, albeit Japan are a far better side.
Scotland were booed off the park at Hampden by a minority of fans after losing to Japan
That defeat two years ago felt like it set the tone for everything as Scotland’s momentum slowly drained away in the build-up to their opening match against Germany in Munich at the Euros.
Hence the concern in the here and now. Supporters feel like they have seen this movie before. In a World Cup section alongside Brazil, Morocco and Haiti, Scotland have an opportunity.
A chance to reach the knockout stages of a tournament for the first time in their history. However, it is unlikely that defensive doggedness alone will be enough to seize that opportunity.
Asked about the previous two major finals, and the need to give a better showing of themselves, Scotland midfielder John McGinn said: ‘It’s impossible not to regret them.
‘You’d be lying if you sat there and said I enjoyed that or we feel we’ve done ourselves justice.
‘I enjoyed the journey of getting there, but it’s impossible to actually sit back and say: “Oh, those were the greatest moments we’ve had in a Scotland jersey”.
‘There was small parts of it which you thought: “Wow, that was incredible”. Like the national anthem in Cologne in the Euros is something I’ll never, ever forget.
‘But the games, we didn’t do ourselves justice and we know we’ve got a lot more to offer than that. So we’ve got another opportunity in the summer because we’ve earned it.
‘We earned the right to be at the last two tournaments, we earned the right to be here by winning the group.
Scott McTominay celebrates scoring a goal against Switzerland but there was little else to shout about for Scotland’s loyal fans at Euro 2024
‘So we know there’s the capability and the potential to compete with the best nations and we just need to show that.
‘I think this summer we just want to do ourselves justice and what an opportunity and we couldn’t possibly choose a bigger stage to do it on.’
A crowd of roughly 35,000 is expected for this evening’s friendly against the Ivory Coast, with the stadium holding around 52,000.
The Ivorians will be no mugs. They are ranked 35th in the world, five places above Scotland, and they dismantled South Korea 4-0 at the weekend.
Clarke is expected to make as many as six or seven changes to his team after going near enough full strength against Japan.
Fringe players will be given more of an opportunity to impress and stake their claim for a place on the plane to America in the summer.
The final result may be of secondary importance, but this does feel like a night when Clarke needs a performance as much as anything.
Scotland cannot afford to limp towards the World Cup. We did that two years ago in the build-up to the Euros and Germany, only to then stink the place out once the tournament started.
John McGinn leads the players in training ahead of their outing against Ivory Coast in Liverpool
Maintaining some kind of rhythm and momentum is key. These friendlies will, of course, be a distant memory by the time Scotland start their World Cup against Haiti in Boston in June.
But Scotland cannot switch their form on and off like a tap. Very few teams can. Football just doesn’t work that way.
The last time Scotland failed to score in consecutive matches was in March 2024, when the aforementioned 1-0 loss to Northern Ireland was preceded by a 4-0 thrashing against Holland.
Given that there is a threat of strained relations emerging with a section of Scotland supporters, a result and a decent performance tonight would do Clarke and his players a world of good.
Just to calm things down as much as anything. But if they were to suffer another defeat, the noise will only grow louder.
Ultimately, fans are within their rights to boo, whether Clarke likes it or not. It’s not cheap to follow Scotland these days.
You can’t blame supporters if they want a little more entertainment value. At this space-age creation of a stadium, Scotland need to give the Tartan Army something to believe in.
A performance that gives hope that something truly special could yet be possible in the summer, rather than more of the same.
