Let’s be blunt: saying we don’t have the players is a poor cop‑out. I’ll give credit where it’s due — getting to a World Cup was earned — but that doesn’t erase the proper failures that followed. Fans aren’t mugs, and we shouldn’t celebrate mediocrity just because we turned up.

We’ve been celebrating the wrong things

Too often people point to qualification and act as if that settles everything. It doesn’t. A draw with England was treated like a triumph; that felt embarrassing to many of us. And don’t tell me the opposition excuses wash it all away — we played Haiti, not Curacao, in the World Cup run and luck had a part to play there. Meanwhile Cape Verde, a nation of around 500k, got out of their group with a similar draw; you can see why fans are annoyed when comparisons are made selectively.

Selection and tactics have to be questioned

Selection decisions raised eyebrows too. Taking Fletcher — someone who’s hardly been a regular in pro football — instead of names like Miller, Barron or others on the list invites questions. That’s on the manager. Tactics, formation and how the team sets up are his responsibility. If games are lost because the shape is wrong or the plan doesn’t work, pointing fingers at the SFA is avoiding the obvious.

Fans deserve better answers

I’m not saying Clarke has done nothing right — World Cup qualification was earned and deserves acknowledgement. But two tournaments where the job wasn’t done and a pattern of celebrating small positives while overlooking real shortcomings won’t keep supporters happy. We want honesty, clear explanations and improvement. Is that too much to ask?

Written by Stromtrooper1: 13 July 2026

Tags: tactics