‘Cartwheels at breakfast’ & kicking about Boston – the culture shift in Scotland camp

We were warned last week to expect a “different Steve Clarke”.

I’m not sure if we were predicting him to be “doing cartwheels down at breakfast”.

Assistant coach Steven Naismith was, of course, speaking in jest at Clarke’s reaction to Scotland’s victory against Haiti on Saturday – the country’s first at a World Cup in 36 years – but it is a sign of the shift among the squad and staff.

The head coach has not hidden in recent weeks that he “didn’t enjoy” the first two major tournaments he led his country in and insisted he would “soak it up” stateside.

It’s clear that message is being fed to the players, too.

The history makers didn’t hit the Boston town on Saturday night, but instead were up at the crack of dawn on Sunday for some downtime with their families and friends.

“Previous tournaments there’s not been that,” Naismith told the media on Monday, back at the squad’s base camp in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“Just being a dad, being a husband, being a son. That’s not been there.

“What we’re doing now is working – and long may it continue.”

It’s impossible not to notice the shift in the ever stoic Clarke.

Down at Fort Lauderdale two weeks ago, at the squad’s pre-tournament camp at Inter Miami’s training centre, Clarke came over to the pitch-side media – unexpectedly – for a wee chinwag.

Such a relaxed nature can maybe be hoped for on day one of such a special period, but past experience would suggest that’s unlikely to last.

However, Clarke’s candid chat with Eilidh Barbour before his light pre-match news conference at the Boston Stadium on Friday – where he joked about what he learned from Euro 2024 was “don’t get humped” – is evidence of his more relaxed approach this time around.

“He’s been to two tournaments, he’s told you he’s not enjoyed them, he’s sat and reflected why and then it’s about what can he do to make it more enjoyable, firstly for him,” said Naismith, who failed to qualify for a major tournament as a player.

“Before the tournament, there was so much work done in terms of what the players want, what they need, what they didn’t like before.

“Bringing the families closer, having more family time, having periods of real hard work and then going to relax, taking that pressure valve off so you’re not constantly thinking of football.

“I think it’s worked well.”

There has been no shortage of photos or clips on social media of the Scotland squad immersing themselves in the feel-good factor the Tartan Army have brought to Boston in the last number of days.

The injured Billy Gilmour, who is expected to join his team-mates in North Carolina, was seen enjoying the ‘Scotland Celebration’ at Fenway Park on Sunday, while many members of the squad were snapped on the streets of Boston by supporters.

Naismith highlighted the team’s desire to be involved in the experience, where fans have been “showing how amazing a country we are”.

“That’s been a big change in terms of we’ve embraced that,” he added.

“We want to be part of that experience. We go to Boston a couple of days early, they’re roaming about the city at certain points, seeing fans, so the connection, for me, has been as good as it’s been.

“There’s not trying to stay away from it, but there’s also that respect on the side that the players have got to do a job here. It’s been brilliant.”

The story has been the same in Charlotte where on Monday it was Ben Gannon-Doak’s turn to make the media laugh.

The squad returned south on Sunday night later than scheduled because of a flight delay. And, even though they had a training session at 21:30 local time on Sunday, the 20-year-old who stole the show for Scotland on Saturday bounced into the room.

He joked about his “calves leaving the stadium before I did”, while last week, Aaron Hickey, Craig Gordon, John McGinn and Kenny McLean were just as upbeat.

It may seem somewhat trivial but there’s been a telling difference in output and access to the team.

From learning that Liam Kelly shaves Grant Hanley’s back, to a behind the scenes tour of the tremendous training facility in North Carolina – clad with Scotland branding and inspiring images and quotes – the squad have not seemed as insular as they did two years ago at the European Championships.

The hope is that they can continue to do things a little differently in their search for more history as the first Scotland squad to reach the knockout stages of a major tournament.

Things have gotten off to a much better start than they did in Germany… no “humping” eh, Steve?