SCOTLAND boss Steve Clarke AGREED with the thousands of irate fans who booed his team off the field at Hampden last night.
The frustrated Tartan Army let their feelings known, despite the Scots winning their second game in three days and taking a massive step towards the World Cup Finals next summer.
After coming back from a goal down on Thursday to beat Greece 3-1, the players toiled against the Group C whipping boys of Belarus before strikes from Che Adams and Scott McTominay got the team over the line with a nervy 2-1 triumph.
Clarke’s men are now two wins away from sealing a place in the football extravaganza that is due to be held in the USA, Canada and Mexico with a June 11 kick-off.
But the manager admitted his players had produced one of their WORST performances of his record amount of games in charge of his country.
THE LOOK OF CONCERN…Steve Clarke was left disappointed after his 72nd Scotland game.
An ashen-faced Clarke said: “I’m really disappointed. It’s possibly as disappointed as I’ve been over the whole 72 games. We just didn’t turn up.
“The display was way below par and it’s a head scratcher. We got the win, but I’m disappointed in the team performance.
“There have been many times when I’ve said how good they are. And they are. That doesn’t change.
“But it doesn’t mean to say that, as their head coach, I can’t be disappointed in them.
“I’ve told them that in the dressing room, so they know what my feelings are.
“I’ve got great faith in them and I trust them absolutely. And I know next month they’ll be a different animal.”
Clarke, speaking to the Daily Record, continued: “Could Belarus have got something out of this game? Absolutely.
“If they get the goal 1-1 and it stands – even though it was a foul – then I’m not sure we could have got back in front.
“I bummed the players up the other night when I said we had over 800 caps on the pitch.
STRIKE No.1…Che Adams fires in the first-half opener against Belarus.
“I said their experience dug them out for a great result against Greece. So, the players can’t be nervous. Why would they be nervous? Most of them have played in big games before.
“If it’s nerves, I think I’ll need to speak to the doctor and see if he can find me some tablets to give them.
“The anxiety in the stadium comes from the fact we didn’t start the game particularly well. We didn’t get control and we have to take some responsibility for that.
“If we’re more in control and look like scoring, the crowd is less anxious. We’d love them to jump up and down and scream and get behind us.
“They tried once or twice to give us a lift, but it’s up to us to do that. On the pitch, we have to lift the crowd. That’s what I’ve found every time we play here.
“If we lift the crowd, they’re good. But on this occasion we didn’t do enough to do that. That type of game shouldn’t be tricky for us. There’s no reason for that.
“Against a lesser ranked team, that’s the poorest performance we’ve had.”
STRIKE No.2…Scott McTominay lashes in the Hampden winner.
The Scots gaffer added: “That’s six points from two games, so we’re really pleased about that, as everyone with a Scottish connection will be. But I’ll go away, have a look and we’ll analyse it.
“I’m obviously happy with 10 points and I’m confident my players will be much better next month.
“We’ll also have a better idea what we have to do in those last two games by then. We’ll be ready.”
The Scots now face a double-header against Greece in Athens and Denmark at Hampden next month in the encounters that will determine the World Cup fate of the nation that has failed to earn a place in the Finals since Craig Brown and Co managed the feat in France 1998.
SCOTS EDGE IT IN WORLD CUP NIGHT OF DRAMA
