BETTER FAITH THAN SORRY

Tartan Army may have lost belief in Clarke and his squad but boss can win it back if he picks right team v Switzerland

- KEITH JACKSON

WHEN a prickly Steve Clarke ordered the Tartan Army to keep the faith on Friday night, Scotland's manager probably knew he was asking for more than he could reasonably hope to receive.

Yes, the goodwill towards him and his players has not been completely exhausted, even if the trauma inflicted upon the nation earlier in the evening means it will have taken quite a battering nonetheless.

A feeling of hope remains in play too and will continue to do so for as long as it is possible for Clarke to recover from the bloody mauling in Munich that sparked a long weekend of navel-gazing and toecurling embarrassment.

There are six Group A points still to play for this week and Scotland will only need to collect four of them in order to create the kind of history Clarke had in mind for these players when they first arrived here at their idyllic home-from-home at the foot of the Bavarian Alps.

As opposed to threatening the record books with the heaviest thumping any Scotland side has been subjected to during a major finals since Uruguay banged seven past a young Tommy Docherty at the World Cup in 1954.

The 70th anniversary of that particular low watermark comes on Wednesday, when Clarke and his players will take to the field for a second time knowing defeat against Switzerland in Cologne will send them home early again from yet another global event. With tails between legs once more.

So, yes, it's not over yet and for as long as they have an opportunity to redeem themselves, only the most churlish among us would wish for any other fate.

But keeping the faith in them, as Clarke has requested? That seems like a stretch too far because in order to have faith, it follows there must first be a sense of belief.