Former Scotland captain Barry Ferguson believes the national team's players will be deeply disappointed after failing to perform at the World Cup, and says the tournament will be Steve Clarke's biggest disappointment as head coach.
Ferguson, who captained Scotland 45 times, said the squad will be 'kicking themselves' after three group-stage matches where they did not produce the level expected. 'It's a horrible feeling for a professional footballer, knowing you've not done yourself justice. Not hit the heights expected. Not shown your capability when it mattered,' he wrote in his column for the Daily Record.
Scotland lost to Morocco and Brazil, with a narrow win over Haiti, leaving them on the brink of elimination. Ferguson pointed to defensive errors: 'Three of the four goals conceded are totally avoidable and that's the biggest disappointment Steve will have and certainly I know the players will have.'
Clarke's biggest disappointment
Ferguson, who played for Rangers and Scotland, said the experience will 'eat away' at the players. 'For Steve Clarke too, I think this will be his biggest disappointment. The group he's assembled and the experience that that group's built over the years that he's been in charge were capable of better.'
He noted that Scotland qualified for their first World Cup in 28 years, an 'amazing achievement', but the performances fell short. 'Going into this tournament, Steve would have felt quite confident, we've got a good chance of getting out of this group. But again they've not hit the heights.'
Ferguson defended Clarke against early criticism, saying: 'Strip it back a wee bit, look what he's achieved taking us to three major tournaments after two decades of getting nowhere. A lot of people forget about that.' He confirmed he was comfortable with the SFA giving Clarke a new contract before the tournament and believes he is the right man to lead the team forward.
Need for grassroots overhaul
Ferguson called for a major change in Scottish youth development. 'I don't think the system works up here. There's loads of talent in Scotland. It's how we work with that talent and how we mature them into being top players,' he said.
He criticised overcoaching at young ages: 'For me there's overcoaching at a young age. Let boys go and express themselves. Football's about enjoyment, about going and showing what you can do with a football. Then at about 14 or 15 you can develop youngsters into how you want to play.'
Ferguson added that Scotland needs more players like John McGinn, Andy Robertson and Scott McTominay, who play at top levels. 'We need to sort the pro youth system. I'm not a fan because a lot of these players are still playing against the same players they played five, six, seven years ago.'
He concluded: 'We have quality players. But what's happened in America shows we need more. We need a major overhaul in how we do that.'
