Our man has his say on the boss who's leading our nation like few before him have.
But, the truth of the matter is, the best of them all have is a bit of both. And that’s precisely why the stars are now aligning so perfectly for Scotland’s national team under the guidance of the unflappable Steve Clarke. Around four years ago this column - albeit with tongue lightly planted in cheek - suggested Clarke might not have any excuse should he fail to lead a blossoming squad to the last European Championships, given the quality of the raft of players who were emerging onto the scene.
A golden generation? We might instinctively prefer to shy away from that sort of hyperbole and leave it to the noisy neighbours who will turn up at Hampden tomorrow night fully expecting to put this team of ours back in its place. Of course, Clarke would dearly love to be blessed with a world class goal getter such as Harry Kane or Romelu Lukaku but, by luring Dykes and Adams into defecting from the countries of their birth, he has cleverly and significantly strengthened Scotland’s hand in the No.9 department.
If that sounds extraordinary it’s precisely because it is. Let’s not forget it was not all that long ago that Clarke was deploying the Man United man on the right hand side of a three man defence. With the outstanding Callum McGregor and the sublimely gifted Gilmour manning the centre of the pitch, there is a balance, composure and level of craft to this midfield four which makes Scotland such a difficult nut to crack.
If Robertson was limp out of action, Tierney can fill in at left back. If Hickey is unfit, Patterson can perform just as ably on the right.
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