John McGinn was given a 3/10 rating and Steve Clarke said Scottish fans “deserved more” than he gave as Scotland crashed out of Euro 2024.
Just nine days after Euro 2024 kicked off, Scotland are packing their bags and getting ready to board the next flight home.
A strong qualifying campaign, which saw them claim the scalp of Spain, created plenty of enthusiasm among supporters that Steve Clarke’s men would break new ground.
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But in the end it’s the same old Scotland as, as they have in their previous 11 major tournament appearances, they fell at the first hurdle.
Their exit came in particularly heartbreaking circumstances as their 1-0 defeat to Hungary, the winning goal scored in the dying seconds of injury time, saw them eliminated from the competition.
The game could have gone either way, but in truth the campaign in Germany never really got going for Scotland, and now the investigation begins.
talkSPORT’s Adrian Durham examines where it all went wrong on Sunday night for the Scots by assessing the players as well as manager Clarke.
“The tournament passed him by”
In the event of failure, a source of comfort can be taken if one knows that one could not have done more to succeed.
Unfortunately, that may not be the case for John McGinn, who, as Scotland’s best all-rounder, struggled to impose himself on Sunday night as well as in the previous two games, as he does with Aston Villa.
Of McGinn, who received a 3/10 rating, a disappointed Durham said: “The tournament unfortunately passed him by.”
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“The main threat to the objective? No
Just four shots on target in over 180 minutes of football perfectly demonstrate where one of Scotland’s big problems lies.
It could be argued that this is at least effective from the Scots, having scored twice in the tournament, although one of them was an Antonio Rudiger own goal and therefore will not be recorded as a shot on target.
The only Euro 2024 scorer in the Scottish ranks is Scott McTominay, who scored in the 1-1 draw against Switzerland, with Durham labeling the Manchester United midfielder Scotland’s biggest attacking threat.
After saying Che Adams was “disappointing”, Durham told 5/10 McTominay: “The main goal threat? No.
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“The fans deserved more”
The players will have many sleepless nights wondering what could have happened, as will manager Clarke.
Clarke has done a marvelous job in taking his country to Euro 2024 as well as the previous European Championship three years ago. However, he also oversaw two final group places.
Scotland do not have the same expectations as England or other European big hitters, but Durham believes Clarke must take responsibility for his early exit.
Of Clarke, Durham said: “He played for a clean sheet and he didn’t even get it. The fans deserved much more from the manager and the team.”
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Scotland vs Hungary player ratings
Angus Gunn – 7/10
Anthony Ralston – 5/10
Andy Robertson – 5/10
Jack Hendry-6/10
Scott McKenna – 6/10
Grant Hanley – 7/10
Callum McGregor – 5/10
Scott McTominay – 5/10
Billy Gilmour – 5/10
John McGinn – 3/10
Che Adams – 4/10
Stuart Armstrong – N/A
Lawrence Shankland – N/A
For the estimated 100,000 Scots who traveled to Germany full of hope, the party is over before it even begins.
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