FootyChatter.com

By JOHN MCGARRY Published: 01: 03 AEDT, 30 March 2026 | Updated: 01: 42 AEDT, 30 March 2026 View comments Scotland 0 Japan 1  After the thunder and lightning of that night in November, we were probably due the rain. On a drab old evening on Glasgow’s south side, this was a cold shower for all concerned. As unwelcome as this insipid display from Scotland was, if nothing else, it should serve as a reminder of the true picture as that opening game with Haiti starts to come into view. On their day, Steve Clarke’s players are eminently capable of producing displays which take the breath away. Call Serbia, Spain and Denmark to the stand. Equally, they are just as liable to leave you wondering exactly how they managed to scale such heights. Outstanding in one game then ordinary — at best — in the next, there remain too many areas of concern for anyone to take anything for granted. Only the most optimistic will be banking on three points from that opening match of the World Cup in Boston in June. Clarke has some outstanding players to call upon yet not enough of them to make any assignment a slam dunk. Scott Mc Tominay trudges off the field at Hampden after failing to hit the heights of Denmark Among a raft of concerns, the manager has an issue in the goalkeeping department where Angus Gunn appears to be his first choice despite playing just a single match with Nottingham forest this season. Too many of the defenders — skipper Andy Robertson presently included — aren’t playing regularly for their clubs. Injuries continue to blight the careers of Aaron Hickey and Ben Gannon-Doak. It’s in the final third where Scotland really struggle, though. Che Adams, who sat out Saturday’s game, remains the leading scorer with 11 goals in 45 appearances. Lyndon Dykes has 10 in 49 and George Hirst has one in seven. No harm to any of them, but if Lawrence Shankland is in any kind of form come the summer, then there’s no debate to be had. His ability to conjure up something out of nothing sets him apart from his peers. This proved to be another tough day for Dykes. Desperate to make up for missing out on the Euros through injury, the Charlton forward’s efforts for just over an hour could not be faulted. He just lacked the nous to make the difference. Hirst did okay after replacing him and would have been the hero had a strike after some neat footwork not gone narrowly round the wrong wide of the post. As it was, Junya Ito showed him how to do it with a smartly taken finish six minutes from time. Japan found a way to get the job done after Scotland spent a featureless 90 minutes scratching their heads. Junya Ito's 84th-minute goal proved to be the difference between the sides at Hampden Given what his side have achieved in returning to the greatest show on earth after 28 years, though, you can well understand Clarke being a little peeved at some supporters choosing to boo the side at the final whistle. Granted, Scotland were uninspiring. Save an early Mc Tominay shot which was brilliantly saved by Zion Suzuki, a well-struck Robertson drive and Hirst’s later effort, there wasn’t a great deal to shout about. But it was a long way from being the most abject display we’ve seen in recent times. Japan, who’ve been at every World Cup since 1998 and have made the last 16 on four occasions, were the superior side yet they did not run riot. Scotland made a reasonable job of stifling them. It was the palpable lack of threat which Clarke’s players offered on the front foot which was dispiriting. Without question, we’ll need to see much more creative spark against the Ivory Coast at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Tuesday. A few shots on target would be good for the soul. A win would help put the wind back in the sail. With just three warm-up games to go, Clarke is running out of time to experiment. Notwithstanding injuries and the need to manage the minutes of certain players, he should be looking to field a team for at least 45 minutes which is as close as possible to the one which will start against Haiti. To that end, it won’t have escaped his notice that the team looked better when Billy Gilmour entered the fold. It usually does. Lyndon Dykes battled manfully up front but lacks the nous to make the difference at elite level Both Lewis Ferguson and Kenny Mc Lean acquitted themselves fine against the Japanese and lasted the pace. Without question, though, the Napoli man is the most comfortable player in the squad when taking the ball in tight spot. He’d be most people’s first choice as one of the deep lying midfielders come the summer. If Clarke’s in that camp, then either Mc Lean or Ferguson will drop out. Andy Irving is a long way from the starting XI, but it would be pleasing if the now Sparta Prague midfielder was given at least a half against the Africans to catch the eye. Likewise, Findlay Curtis, who only had nine minutes on his full debut to impress. Tommy Conway, who the on-loan Kilmarnock player replaced, did his reputation no harm on an evening when there were major supply issues. As flat as this show was, it scarcely came as a surprise to seasoned Scotland observers. Billy Gilmour came off the bench and proved once again he is Scotland best player on the ball Clarke has fixed a great deal about the national team in his seven years in charge yet finding out what’s behind a long-standing aversion to friendly matches has been beyond him. This was the 12th bounce game since he succeeded Alex Mc Leish in the post. Scotland have won just two of those — against the might of Luxembourg and Liechtenstein. Among the six defeats were reverses at the hands of Northern Ireland and Iceland, with a share of the spoils against Finland another minor embarrassment. While being edged out in what are frequently tame affairs isn’t going to get anyone frothing at the mouth, losing too many of them can gnaw away at your confidence. Remember, the barnstorming start Scotland made to Euro 2024 qualification with a record five straight wins? The feel-good factor arising from that run began to dissipate when England humbled Clarke’s men at Hampden. Steve Clarke has myriad problems and very little time to find the answers before the summer Then came losses to France, the Netherlands and Northern Ireland. A narrow win over Gibraltar and a draw with the Finns prior to going to Germany was indicative of a side which had lost its sparkle. You know the rest by now. So, just because there are no points at stake against the Ivory Coast or when Curaçao come to Hampden on May 30 isn’t to say that they will have no bearing on how it all unfolds in Boston and Miami. Players always feel better about themselves when they are winning. Losing gets under the skin of the best of them. At the new home of the Blues on Merseyside, we could do with something more upbeat than we witnessed at Mount Florida.

Share what you think

No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts,

or debate this issue live on our message boards.

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your Mail Online comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to Mail Online as usual.   Do you want to automatically post your Mail Online comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to Mail Online as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on Mail Online. To do this we will link your Mail Online account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.