Lyndon Dykes doesn't buy Scotland statbomb as defiant striker sees big picture that numbers don't show

If you only concern yourself with facts and figures you’d think Scotland are now at a crisis point in Steve Clarke’s reign. But Lyndon Dykes isn’t a stats man.

Which is probably just as well, given the big striker’s last goal for his country was 17 games ago. No, he can see the bigger picture. And he reckons it’s important that his manager’s critics appreciate how they actually got to this juncture. One win in 15 games doesn’t make good reading. But after earning a crack at the top tier of the Nations League, Scotland HAVE competed with the big boys in their group.

Narrow, one-goal defeats to Poland, Portugal and Croatia might ordinarily give off negative vibes. But the performances have suggested otherwise. The Scots’ 2-1 loss in Zagreb on Saturday night followed a similar pattern to the previous two. Clarke’s men were well in the game against Luka Modric and Co and took the lead through Ryan Christie’s strike. Even at the death, they looked to have snatched a priceless point, only to be denied by VAR.

Despite his lack of goals, Dykes performed well. And rather than being down in the dumps about the run the team are on, the Birmingham City front-man insists there’s still positivity in the camp.

He also urged the doubters to remember how they ended up mixing it with Europe’s best in the first place. Ahead of Portugal’s visit to Hampden tomorrow night, Dykes said: “We’re determined to get it right. Football is tough when you’re on a long run and not winning games.

“Especially after the results we did get, winning and changing the way the Scotland national team had been for years. We’ve done that.

“Now, it hasn’t gone so well. But we’ve still got the same players, the same characters in the changing-room. And we’ve got to