Ryan Gauld leads Scotland refresh but Steve Clarke unable to escape Euros shadow as he addresses quit question

The first Scotland squad since 1962 containing a player from Torino - and the first ever to include one from UD Las Palmas. It risked provoking insurrection among the Tartan Army if this was the extent of the "refresh" promised by Steve Clarke.

Fortunately, the Scotland manager has proved slightly bolder. Rather than Be Here Now, it was a case of being here eventually. Clarke followed the announcement that warring Oasis brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher had mended their rift with news he hoped would go some way to helping soothe relations with the Tartan Army.

Clarke broke cover 65 days after Scotland’s dismal exit from Euro 2024 to confirm reports, in The Scotsman and elsewhere, that Ryan Gauld was in the frame to finally return to the Scotland equation. It's now ten years since the 28-year-old Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder was last included in an international squad.

Whether this is enough to re-ignite things under Clarke remains to be seen. A once sanguine enterprise has hit the buffers somewhat. As well as Gauld, Kilmarnock goalkeeper Robby McCrorie has returned as one of three goalkeepers and Sturm Graz's Max Johnston is added to provide cover at right wing-back, where Scotland are still suffering the enforced absence of Aaron Hickey and Nathan Patterson.

Ben Doak and Lyndon Dykes also return after missing the Euros through injury. Che Adams, meanwhile, is the aforementioned Torino player - the first since Denis Law to play for Scotland. Scott McKenna is picked out of Canaries-based Las Palmas. New clubs, old faces. But there is evidence of a revamp, including confirmation that former Everton assistant manager Alan Irvine has replaced James Morrison as coach.

Clarke knew he had to do something to try to arrest a slump that has seen Scotland win just once - against Gibraltar in a friendly - in their last 12 outings. This run included a bitterly disappointing Euros experience when Scotland won just one point and scored only two goals. It isn’t about to start getting any easier as Clarke’s side prepare to make their debut in League A of the Nations League with games against Poland and Portugal.

Gauld’s inclusion is part of an overhaul that was limited in scope. There are five uncapped players in the 24-man squad but all have been involved before, including Gauld. He was just 18 when he was called up by Gordon Strachan for a pair of Euro 2016 qualifiers in the Autumn of 2014. Clarke revealed Gauld was in the mix for a place in the Euro 2024 squad. The first Vancouver Whitecaps player since Kenny Miller to feature in a Scotland squad has the belated chance to impress an incumbent Scotland manager by doing well in training and competitive games.

Given the travel involved, it seems more likely he will make his debut, if at all, in the second of the two games against Portugal, which would be fitting. The match takes place in Lisbon, where Gauld lived for a spell after making a life-changing move to Sporting Lisbon. What this transfer from Dundee United didn’t do was help his Scotland prospects.  Neither has a subsequent move to Vancouver Whitecaps, where he recently signed a new contract until 2027. 

Gauld is scheduled to play for the Whitecaps this weekend against Austin in Texas before making his way to Glasgow, where he will join former flatmates John Souttar and Andy Robertson in the squad. They shared digs while breaking through at Dundee United. They now have 82 caps between them although Gauld – who was, perhaps, the first of the trio to catch the eye - is yet to contribute any to that total. It now seems just a matter of time, at last.

Ryan Gauld seen in action for the Vancouver Whitecaps in a game against New England Revolution (Picture: Jordan Jones/Getty Images) | Getty Images

“He was in my thoughts before the tournament,” said Clarke. “He's obviously chosen a different path in his career. He left Scotland as a very young man. He went out on a roundabout journey and ended up in Vancouver where he's been one of their best players, and one of the most valuable players. He's a creative player. He looks slightly different to the type of player that we've got. It'll be nice to have a look at him up close and personal.”

Many wondered whether Clarke would still be around to look at any player “up close and personal” following events earlier this summer. Some wanted him gone. The clock was approaching midnight when the manager stepped into the auditorium at the Stuttgart Arena after Scotland had failed to secure the three points required to progress at Euro 2024 against Hungary, falling to a late, late breakaway winner from Kevin Csoboth. 

The inquest was cut short after little more than four minutes at the press conference that night. There has been some frustration and perhaps even anger that Clarke hasn’t made himself available for a more detailed look back on the tournament before now. His first appointment with reporters since that night in Stuttgart was eagerly awaited. The casually dressed Clarke strode into the Hampden Park auditorium at 12.30 pm on the dot and took question for 20 minutes.

Had he considered walking away? “No,” he answered. After being asked for the motivation for staying on, he smiled: “My contract!” Clarke signed a new deal taking him up to the next World Cup in 2026. “I've always said I'd love to go to a World Cup with my country,” he continued.

“I've got a group of players that are determined to go to a World Cup with their country. For some of them this might be their last chance. It'll certainly be my last chance. There’s your motivation...”

Scotland manager Steve Clarke at full time after the 1-0 defeat to Hungary that saw his side exit Euro 2024. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) | SNS Group

It was impossible to escape the shadow of the Euros. Some have described Scotland's performance as their worst-ever at a major finals, which is saying something. Clarke has been depicted as running for cover. There has been no public post-mortem and no mea culpa – if one was one even required.  

There were moments here where he came close to admitting that he wished he had done some things differently. Largely, however, it felt as if he was aligning himself to the narrative that injuries – and a refereeing decision – had scuppered Scotland’s chances. “It wasn’t our tournament,” he said. “It didn’t fall our way.”

He understood the unhappiness from fans. “When you don't achieve what you want to achieve, you have to take that criticism and take it on the chin and move on,” he said.  It was, he added, a reflection of how well they had done in recent times. It meant expectations were high.”

Too high, it turned out. As for that penalty-that-never-was against Hungary, which saw Clarke rail against Uefa's decision to appoint a referee from Argentina to take charge of a Euro 2024 fixture, the manager seemed to express some remorse for comments about Facundo Tello that came across as unpalatable at the time. 

"What it was was a disappointed, frustrated coach coming out straight after the match with a lot of emotion," he said. "What's said is said - I'd have been better answering the question by just saying 'no'."