If Scotland’s Euros exit can be blamed on anything it wasn’t one moment – the anger at not being awarded a penalty – but the inability to get a shot on target against Hungary.
Supporters, though, leaving the Stuttgart stadium in a rage were blaming one person: Steve Clarke.
“Terrible – absolute nightmare,” said fan Stuart Gray. “Steve Clarke at his best – too negative. The 75th minute before making a substitution – what’s all that about?”
Little appreciation for the 60-year-old leading Scotland to back-to-back Euros.
The clamour was immediately for David Moyes, the recently departed West Ham manager with experience at Everton and Manchester United, to take charge for 2026 World Cup qualifying.
“The performance, that was absolutely nonsense,” supporter Cameron MacFarlane said. “We sat back until the last 10 minutes or so. We pushed forward. They had one attack and they were clinical.”
A problem was they were pushing for a winner when Hungary inflicted 100th-minute heartache to win 1-0.
“We dominated the ball, we had enough of the ball,” Clarke said. “We created chances, we couldn’t find the composure just to put the ball in the net.
“But that’s what we are. That’s the way we are. It was always going to be a tough night against a good team.”
Image: Manager Steve Clarke (centre) consoles Scott McTominay after the defeat. Pic: PA
When Clarke was looking for someone to blame he took the default route of a manager and looked to the referee.
This time with an additional complaint about his nationality when it came a penalty appeal waved away by the Argentine official, Facundo Tello, after a challenge on substitute Stuart Armstrong.
“A European competition it may have been better to have a European referee, but we had a European view and maybe the referee didn’t see the challenge clearly on the pitch,” Clarke said.
“So what’s the purpose of VAR? If they’re not going to come in on something like that, it was a penalty.”
Image: Scotland’s hopes of making it through to the knock-out stages of the contest have ended
Supporters just cannot see why every single tournament they ever compete in – 12 now for the Scotsmen – they can never make it into the knockout phase.
Always leaving after the group stage, their fleeting moment on the international stage over.
Image: The Tartan Army won plaudits for their boisterous contribution to the tournament
Another draw – following the battling one secured against Switzerland last week – could have been enough to reach the last 16 among the best-ranked third-placed teams.
But the Scots couldn’t cling on.
“Hungary weren’t the best and we should have taken something from them,” said fan Ali McGinley.
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Ultimately, the team were unable to match the energy, passion and determination of the Tartan Army who won plaudits for their boisterous contribution to the tournament across Munich, Cologne and Stuttgart.
They leave Germany with better memories of times away from the stadiums than in them.
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