Andy Robertson insists the Tartan Army got their wish for a Scotland revolution – now the punters need to give it time to shine. The skipper admitted Tuesday’s Slovenia shocker wasn’t up to scratch, with another Hampden defeat leaving the side’s Nations League hopes hanging by a thread.
Pocognoli’s Bumpy Start
New head coach Sebastien Pocognoli has had a bumpy start, picking up just four points – the draw in Ljubljana and the win in North Macedonia – on top of home horror shows against Switzerland and the Slovenians. Robertson has urged punters to keep the faith after demanding a change in direction following Steve Clarke’s seven years at the helm.
The captain insisted Scotland are still a work in progress under the new regime, but he’s convinced the national team are on the right track. Robertson – now just one match away from matching Kenny Dalglish’s record 102-cap haul – said: “We also have to remember people asked for change, they asked for new people in the squad.
Fresh Faces and Gelling
“We’ve done that. We’ve freshened it up and brought in players people would argue should be in it. They’ve shown why they should be here but it’s also about gelling as a team again. We have to get that bond off and on the pitch. That’s what the last few weeks have been vital for, getting the young lads in and experiencing international football – but also knowing what it takes.
“This has been a really intense period and they’ve been thrown in at the deep end. They’ll have a feeling of what it’s like to play for the country now and hopefully it’ll stand us in good stead in the future. Hopefully this squad can take it on and come the qualifier and hopefully the Euros we’ll be ready and a better team for it.”
Fans Urged to Stay Positive
The Tartan Army hit the boss following the second-half collapse and 2-1 defeat to Slovenia. But Robertson hopes the punters stay onside as it’s still early days for the new-look national set-up. The skipper insisted lessons have to be learned from Clarke’s reign – where the former boss won his first game in charge against Cyprus in 2019, then failed to win any of the next four before eventually coming good.
Robertson said: “Yeah, 100 percent. That’s why it’s important people stay positive. I know fans want results and everything like that. I remember when Steve (Clarke) first came in and we didn’t get results, they were really frustrated and maybe the attendances dropped. I can completely get that. But us inside the changing room, we have to keep believing and we do.
“We’ve done a lot in these last two-and-a-half weeks to understand what the manager wants, how he wants us to play and how he wants us to go about it. It’s up to us to show that. I think we did against North Macedonia and we now need to show it more on a consistent basis.”
