Steve Clarke requires silver bullet but managing lop-sided Scotland akin to rearranging deck chairs on Titanic

Most Scots present left feeling bereft. That Trainspotting meme reared its head again. It’s rubbish – family newspaper and all that – being Scottish. Steve Clarke’s side looked to have secured what might be the toe hold in a recovery process before it was snatched away at the death.

Scotland were robbed of the point they deserved against Poland by a late penalty award. Although a better, more adventurous performance, it cannot disguise the fact that losing goals has become a habitual problem. Where do Scotland go from here?

How they could do with someone like Harper, whose nose for goal was so refined. He scored five times in one game against Canada on a tour in 1967, which is why he was at Hampden this week.

The SFA stance had been to pretend it hadn’t happened but questions as to why Sir Alex Ferguson, who was on the same tour, was missing from the list of capped Scotland players was the stimulus for a reassessment.

Ferguson was invited onto the pitch a few years ago to receive his cap, with some tour matches having been upgraded to full internationals. Official recognition of Harper’s achievement – he is now one of only two players, Hughie Gallacher being the other, to score five goals in a single game for Scotland – took place in a Hampden suite before the agonising 3-2 defeat to Poland. “Not bad for a wee boy from Greenock,” Harper told me yesterday.

Not bad at all. And kudos to the SFA for finally rectifying this curious case of the ‘lost’ games – and goals. Harper’s international teammate Doug Fraser has been awarded five caps retrospectively.  

The governing body was faced with a different headache a couple of nights ago. They seemed caught between moving on from events this summer in Germany while also acknowledging a tournament where Scotland’s fans - at least - had excelled.

The Tannoy announcer encouraged supporters to see if they could see themselves in photographs of various packed city squares. It seemed to have been policy to skirt around the actual football, which was probably wise.

Clarke had hoped for a fresh start. But he was hamstrung by some familiar shortcomings. What can he do? Petition Fifa to stop games bang on 90 minutes would be a start. Failing that, he could tell his defenders to stop making senseless tackles in the box. Robert Lewandowski is good enough. He doesn’t need to augment his Poland goals tally with a free shot from 12 yards.

The same applies to Nicola Zalewski, the impressive AS Roma wing back who took over penalty taking duties in Lewandowki’s absence and converted that decisive late award. It left Clarke surely wondering if someone up there had taken a recent dislike to him.

Scotland have been undone by preventable goals in the 10th and then seventh minute of time added on in their last two outings. They have conceded three unnecessary penalties in their last four matches, all tucked away by grateful opponents.

Since beating Cyprus 3-0 this time last year, Scotland have lost 28 goals in 13 matches. For them to profit amid such generosity to their opponents would require someone like Harper scoring five goals a game – and even that would have seen Scotland only just squeeze past Germany on that traumatic opening night in June.

Somehow Clarke must come up with some answers from a squad – and team – that looks so lop-sided. Pitted against the big boys in League A of the Nations League, these should be heady times. However, it’s hard to be upbeat when Scotland cannot beat the likes of Poland, Finland and Norway at home. Albeit they are decent sides, but so too are Scotland. Or at least they are supposed to be. It isn't possible to fluke your way into the top flight of the Nations League.

It’s why escaping this current predicament is not going to get easier anytime soon, with five more challenging ties to come before the end of the year.

Given the current injury situation, Clarke’s options are limited. Anthony Ralston is giving everything he has at right back and right wing-back in the absence of Aaron Hickey and Nathan Patterson but always runs the risk of being found out at this level, particularly when he’s coming into international games cold due to lack of action at Celtic. Grant Hanley is suffering for the same reason – he has played just twice this season for Norwich - and looked particularly exposed in a back four against Poland. Whether Clarke reverts to a back five against Portugal tomorrow night remains to be seen. John Souttar might be a good bet to come in either way.

Clarke is in an invidious position when it comes to Hanley, who he declared was “my man” in the run-up to the Euros. Time waits for no man, sadly.  

It all still feels like rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic. Whichever way Clarke shuffles the pack, Scotland seem two, three, perhaps even four pieces short of the jigsaw. 

Despite still being able to call on Liverpool’s first-choice left back, the Aston Villa captain and two players from Napoli, Scotland are still managing to give off slightly low-rent vibes. Someone from the third tier of English football up front, auxiliary players at their clubs being handed starts for their country. The hope is something is coming down the line but the SFA’s own report into the pitiful progress of homegrown players at top-flight Scottish clubs does not augur well.

What’s it all about, Joe? It was good to catch up with Harper yesterday and hear what he had to say. Like anyone else with eyes, he reckoned Scotland had been unlucky against Poland. They were the team looking the most likely to win as the minutes ticked down.

He left Hampden with a silver medal in recognition of his scoring deeds against Canada all those years ago. What Clarke requires is a silver bullet as Scotland seek to find the winning formula again.