Another two defeats have been added to a regrettably burgeoning collection. That’s one win from 14 games now for anyone who’s still counting.
But Steve Clarke very probably returned to base on Monday believing a major victory has been added to the scorecard over these last five days.
And it might well be a win big enough to keep him at the wheel when the journey to the next World Cup begins. Make no mistake, the pressure was mounting on Clarke going into a Nations League double header with Poland and Portugal and the prospect of him losing both of these opening games might have placed him on the managerial Green Mile.
In terms of his international career, Clarke could have been a dead man walking by now. But, on the contrary, by sticking firmly to his own principles and by showing the courage of his convictions, Clarke oversaw two performances which were light years ahead of anything he delivered during the Euros in Germany.