'The players are still singing...' Steve Clarke on Scotland good vibes but why Georgia must be on everyone's minds

An evening at the Borders Book festival might not be the usual place to start a preview of a game where Scotland can take an enormous step towards a major finals.

Scotland manager Steve Clarke during a training session at Lesser Hampden yesterday. His side are bidding to make history against Georgia tonight (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

Pat Nevin’s involvement in the story offers some explanation. The former international winger is a man of many parts and is entertaining fans with a DJ set this evening at the fans’ park in Saltire Square before Steve Clarke’s in-form side host Georgia in a Euro 2024 Group A fixture.

The post-Oslo good vibes were still very much in evidence yesterday. Crowds were drawn to Scotland’s latest training session at Lesser Hampden in the hope of obtaining a glimpse of the heroes who had shown such resourcefulness against Norway on Saturday to win 2-1 with two late goals.

Nevin was present as an analyst and had again marvelled at his former Chelsea teammate's tactical acumen - and boldness. It's not a word perhaps often associated with Clarke, whose perceived caution was being lamented even as late as the 79th minute. That is when he made a triple change and finally switched to four at the back from five. Too late, wailed many.

Nevin wasn’t saying he knew it was not too late. However, he had more faith in his old Chelsea teammate and pal.

Nevin hotfooted it from Norway to Melrose on Sunday night, asking for forgiveness if he "nodded off" during a show to promote his new book, Football And How To Survive It. Obviously, he was asked about Scotland's win. He identified Clarke's tactical acumen in delaying his big tactical statement.

He likened the scenario to that scene in Braveheart where William Wallace, as played by Mel Gibson, keeps ordering his army to "hold!" until they get uncomfortably close to being slaughtered by the English invaders. Finally Wallace, or indeed Gibson, roars: "Now!" His men raise their crudely sharpened spears, which has the intended effect of impaling the enemy.

It was only slightly less dramatic inside the Ullevaal stadium, where Clarke also took things to the limit. Norway manager Stale Solbakken was ultimately left impaled on a stick. However, Clarke is experienced enough to know things don't always go to plan. It is why he is exhibiting such restraint prior to bogey team Georgia's visit while an entire country is losing its collective composure.

He explained the Liam Cooper substitution against Norway, which was greeted with dismay by some. The Leeds United defender replaced Kieran Tierney after 65 minutes and slotted into the Arsenal player's position as Scotland kept their shape. Hold! Clarke was effectively saying. He belatedly switched to a back four with 11 minutes left.

“It (the Cooper sub) was to make sure we are still in the game going into the last 15 minutes,” Clarke said yesterday. “And then you can make your changes to try and close the game down. When it works it looks great. Sometimes it doesn’t work…."

Clarke accepts there must be some signs of elation even though nothing's been decided yet in terms of qualification. "They (the players) are still singing," he smiled yesterday. "I’ve heard them bursting into song every now and again.

"They are still happy, which is good. You want them to be happy, you want them to enjoy the result and be confident going into the game.”

They are also mindful of the pitfalls. It doesn’t need the recent thunderstorms that have swept over the country to know lightning can strike twice. The last time Scotland began a qualifying campaign with three wins, for Euro 2008, they were eventually undone by Georgia, who dealt out a devastating defeat in Tbilisi. The Scots ended up third in their group despite two wins over France.

Clarke's wariness is well served by this painful and pertinent lesson. "I did say that Georgia would be the toughest pot four team," he said, with reference to their latest win in Cyrus on Saturday. "One defeat in 15 tells me I’m probably right.”

Clarke isn’t entertaining making history – Scotland have never won their first four qualifying games. He had a good line in Oslo when asked about this. “You love history, don’t you?! I was more of a geography man.”

Noted. How far away is Germany then? Some contend the finals are a win against Georgia away. Not Clarke of course. He’s more here and now than here we go.

The thin line between success and failure was illustrated again on Saturday evening. Had his triple substitution proved too late, had Erling Haaland not been taken off, then Scotland might be operating under slightly more pressure tonight and Clarke would’ve been cast as a prize chump. That’s how football works, hence Nevin’s admiration.

Instead, because of a stirring comeback in Oslo, the team steps out into Hampden Park with the fans very much on their side. Clarke reported no fresh injury doubts.

There will be pressure, of course, as there always is when Scotland play at home. But the bond between team and supporters is growing stronger all the time. Clarke should not even need to make his usual appeal for patience (but he did). Fans should know to trust him by now.

"I think they can see what we are trying to build,” he said. “They know what maybe it takes until later in the game.

“We didn’t put the Cyprus game to bed until the last 10 minutes and it was even later in Norway. But they do have to be patient.

“If you think of the build-up to the first goal in Norway, it was 33 passes before John (McGinn)’s killer pass was half intercepted. It was a long passage of play with the ball and you have to understand that the players are trying to do that for a reason.

“They are trying to open up the opposition. Fortunately, it worked. Hopefully it will work again tomorrow."